Half God, Half Siren: The Journey to Camp Half Blood
by Dork Asian
Summary: What if Percy had a sister that was not like any half blood anyone would expect? Well, that sister is Serena Melody Summers, a musically gifted girl who doesn't talk at all. When her mother disappears, Serena's forced to find a safe haven where she'll get more than what she bargains for. But, she has to face some obstacles along the way. Takes place during TLT. DISCONTINUED.
1. Birth of a Half Blood

_**Half God, Half Siren: The Journey to Camp Half Blood**_

**~Birth of a Half Blood~**

….

It was a stormy night in New York City. Thunder boomed, lighting lit up the sky, and rain fell hard on the busy city. To some, the weather was just rotten luck and they cursed the weatherman's wrong prediction of "ten percent chance of rain." It was, as they say, "bullshit" that the weatherman said the rain was just going to be a "drizzle". But, to others, the rain only meant one thing: the gods were angry. Not just any gods, the Greek gods.

A woman in a hospital gown sat in her hospital bed, staring out the window with scared eyes. She was one of the people who believed the storm meant the gods were angry. But, she knew what god was angry. And, that god was Zeus, king of the sky and one of the Big Three. Why the woman knew was a mystery.

The woman was named Marina Sapphira Summers, daughter to an American man and a Greek woman. Marina had sea foam-green eyes; long, messy black hair, and pale skin. Her beauty was quite alluring, with her blood-red lips and her full, curvy, feminine-not fat-figure. She had given birth to her first child and was waiting patiently for her doctor, Melissa Cassandra Vasiliou (her sister who got married), to bring her child.

Marina waited, her fingers tapping on her thigh. The door opened, and a woman with straight brown hair, ocean-blue eyes, and peachy skin walked in. She wore an emerald green blouse, black dress pants, black ballet flats, and a white doctor's coat, the usual doctor's look. In her arms, was something wrapped in a baby pink blanket. The woman smiled as she placed the blanket in Marina's arms.

"Congratulations, little sister, it's a healthy baby girl!"

Marina gushed over her newborn daughter. As she cradled the bundle of joy in her arms, she took notice of her daughter's features. The baby girl had black hair, grey eyes, and pale skin. The baby was wide awake, and she was cooing and stretching her arms out. Marina smiled at her daughter, absolutely thanking the gods for blessing her with this child.

"Melissa, she is so beautiful! I…"

Marina cried tears of joy as she cradled her child. Melissa, being the caring sister, sat by her sister and smiled at her niece. Suddenly, the baby started crying. Marina and Melissa looked at the child with surprise, but not for what some may think.

Some may stare at their newborn for crying for no reason or stare because of the sudden noise. But, the sisters were staring at the child's eyes. The girl's eyes changed from their medium grey to a stunning sea-green. Melissa looked at her sister.

"Marina, you never told us who _exactly_ the father was."

Marina avoided her sister's glare as she looked at her child.

"What do you think I should name her?"

Melissa frowned, hating that her sister changed the subject. But, nonetheless, she pondered on the child's name.

"Well, since it's a girl, and you've always wanted to name your daughter with a name that started with an S, how about you name her Serena?"

"Serena…yes! Her name shall be Serena Melody Summers!"

Marina gushed over her daughter's name. Serena, on the other hand, was still fussing. Melissa glared at her sister, and she lightly poked her head. Marina wanted to curse, but since there was a baby present, she could not. Marina cradled the child, softly singing a lullaby. Serena stopped fussing, and started cooing.

"Marina, you have not told me who her father is."

"It's…complicated, Melissa. Our relationship is supposed to be a secret and he doesn't want to anger…his family."

"Marina, who is the child's fa-"

Thunder crashed, and the hospital lights flickered on and off. Many of the patients and their families started panicking. Baby Serena started crying once again. Melissa stood up, and glared at her sister.

"This conversation isn't over yet."

Melissa ran off, hurrying to the rooms with the nurses. Now alone, Marina spoke with her daughter.

"Little Serena, I'm sorry your father isn't here to see how wonderful you turned out to be. I'm sure he would love to see you, but he can't."

Serena stopped crying, and stared up at her mother. To her baby mind, her mother was sad but she didn't understand why. Marina looked out the window, and sighed.

"Your father and I met at this little beach in California. We were young and we spent our days walking on the beach, admiring the beauty of the sea and frowned upon the people we saw littering in the water. He was kind, handsome, and mysterious. One day, he said he had to leave so he gave me something."

Serena's eyes went to the amulet that was around her mother's neck. The amulet had an ocean-blue jewel with sea-green flecks. The jewel was attached to a gold chain, which allowed the wearer of the amulet to place it around their neck. What was mesmerizing about the amulet was the golden trident in the middle of the jewel. It was small and was barely noticeable. But, the trident glowed, as if it was alive or was magical.

"The amulet he gave me was created by his own hands. He said that this jewel could only be found in the ocean and the gold was from a friend of his. He said every time I felt scared or lonely, that the amulet will remind me of him. And every time I look at it, the trident glowed."

Serena yawned and fell asleep. Marina smiled, and she turned her head towards the window. The storm was growing stronger, and Marina knew why.

"I'm sorry, my love. I'm sorry you had to meet me and fall in love with me. Now, our child is in danger."

…

Above the Empire State Building, on Mount Olympus, the gods and goddesses were enraged. They had sense a half blood, but this half blood was far more different than any half blood they ever seen.

"An abomination is what this child is! Whoever the child's godly parent is, he or she has brought upon something dangerous and unpredictable!"

"In all of the idiotic things that have happened, this is by far the stupidest! And I thought the Cyclopes were terrible."

All the gods and goddesses, mostly the minor or some of the major ones, were ranting. But, a voice boomed.

"ENOUGH WITH THIS PATHETIC RANTING!"

Thunder boomed, and all fell silent. Zeus, who had just yelled, stood, surveying all of the gods and goddesses. He spoke, his voice edgy.

"Now, I too am angered that one of us would fall in love with…that kind. But, nonetheless, not all of…that kind are evil and seductive as some claim. Now, we don't know who is the parent, but we do know one thing: we must protect this child at all cost-"

"I'm not protecting that runt! She's probably a daughter of some minor god that no one knows about."

Some of the minor gods and goddess shot the speaker a glare. Zeus glared at the speaker as well.

"Ares, you may be right. But, until her parent is determined, she must be protected."

"But-"

"NO BUTS! She will inherit her parents' powers and they will grow stronger as she grows up."

Ares grumbled swears in Ancient Greek under his breath. Athena stood, Zeus nodding, letting her speak.

"I actually agree with Zeus, this child must be protected. Even if her godly parent is a minor or major god, she still has that…thing she inherited from her mother's kind. At least we are able to narrow it down to the gods."

All nodded, but Ares. Athena sat down, letting Zeus speak again.

"So we agree. Protect the young girl and when she comes of age, send her to Camp Half Blood."

All agreed, but a voice spoke out.

"What if this child is a daughter of Hades, Poseidon, or you?"

Zeus stiffens.

"Then, we may have a problem in our hands."

…

**Hi, I'm Dork Asian, or DA. I've read "The Lighting Thief" and "The Sea of Monsters". I've also watched the movies. I must say, so far, the series is better than the movies. The movies sucked hard! So, that's why I thought of making a series based on the books! **

**This takes place during "The Lighting Thief".**

**Now, my character's family and her history will be discovered throughout the series, so keep your questions on hold.**

**Today, I will get the next chapter up, so wait please!**

**Review, follow, and favorite please!**


	2. I Accidently

**~I Accidently Turn My English Teacher to Dust~**

…..

Okay, I've always thought being a daughter of a god was going to be cool.

I mean, having powers is like a dream come true. Having a parent who's a god is pretty awesome. But, boy, I was dead wrong.

If you're reading this because you think you're just like me, you're dead wrong. You may be a half blood yourself. My advice: continue reading this because I'm so much more than a half blood.

What I am is more than a half blood. Being a half blood is a dangerous. It's terrifying. Most of the time, you're either being hunted down by monsters or being a half blood can lead you to being killed in painful, nasty ways.

If you're just a normal kid looking for a great book to read, I envy you for being a normal kid. You think this is all fiction and nothing like this can ever happen. So, read on, normal beings.

But, be warned. If you recognize yourself in this story-if you feel something stirring inside you-stop reading this immediately. You may be like me, more than just a half blood. Something much more dangerous and you may have monsters hunting you down just like me. And once _they _find out, you might want to find the safe haven for _our _kind.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

…

My name is Serena Melody Summers.

I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I attended a private boarding school called Devon Academy. This school was for the gifted and talented kids, also the dyslexic and ADHD kids, in upstate New York.

Am I gifted and talented?

Yes, considering I'm a prodigy when it comes to the arts, especially music.

Do I have dyslexia and ADHD?

Yep, considering I can't read the damn words on our English textbook! Not only that, my ADHD keeps making me on edge and can't stay still.

I could start at any point in my pathetic life that could show case my "gifts" and "talents". Like in second grade, I played piano in front of the whole school; it was a Beethoven piece that I played. Or in fourth grade, I had the honor (meaning more publicity for the school and New York) to play piano in this hall that I can't remember the name of. People from places I can't name or remember came to watch me play.

There are also other points that show case my embarrassing dyslexic and ADHD moments. Like, I couldn't spell "commercial" for a big spelling test in third grade. Or in first grade, my ADHD got me so on edge; I accidently freed some monkeys on our field trip to the zoo. How I freed them is still a mystery.

But, that's just the tip of the iceberg. The real bad stuff started to happen last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan, twenty gifted and talented kids, ten dyslexic and ADHD kids, and two teachers on a yellow bus heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Arts to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.

I know, sounds like torture. Some of the Devon field trips were.

But, Mr. Vasiliou, our Latin teacher and my uncle, was leading this trip, so I had hopes.

Mr. Vasiliou was as old as my mom and his wife, Aunt Melissa, so somewhere in the middle-age zone I believe. He had brown hair and his usual black framed glasses and a tweed jacket, which was frayed and kind of old. Mr. Vasiliou, or Uncle Demetrius, was one of my favorite teachers. Not only was he my fun-loving uncle, he was the best teacher Devon Academy had. When he teaches us, he liked our class to be "hands-on" type of learning experience. He told us stories of ancient Greek and Roman mythology, joke around with us, and lets us play games in class. He also had these awesome Roman weapons for the boys and beautiful Greek relics for the girls, so I never got bored in class. Then again, I've always loved learning so I never got bored in class.

I hoped this trip would be okay. I prayed that no trouble would happen on this trip.

But, boy was I wrong.

As I said before, I once freed monkeys on a field trip in first grade. That got me in trouble, but I got excused from trouble due to my ADHD being a condition my mom warned the school about. Field trips and I are enemies. I always set something free, get lost, or have some weird person in a trench coat try to kidnap me. The being almost kidnap thing also doesn't only happen to me on field trip. Every since the beginning of sixth grade in Devon Academy, these people in black trench coats try to kidnap me any chance they get. From walking home to doing PE outside, they keep coming and keep trying to kidnap me.

This trip, I was determined to not get kidnap, lost, or set something free. I had to stay away from anything suspicious or anything odd.

All through the ride to the city, I had to deal with Serena Blockson, a blond-haired who's a prodigy in poetry, and Selena Gopher, an auburn-haired ADHD girl. The two BFFs were the most popular in sixth grade and the meanest girls that I've ever met. They once tried to make me part of the group, since me and Serena Blockson share a name. That's why I go by my middle name, Melody, or by my nickname, Rena. Not only that, they liked me for my looks.

Let me explain why they liked my "looks". People said that when I was a baby, I was the most beautiful baby there was. Not only that, they said as I grew up, I grew fairer each day. Like Aphrodite blessed me with these "divine looks". I had ebony-black hair that went down to my mid-back, medium grey eyes that seemed to shimmer and shine, and pale skin, like a snow-white. They said I had an angelic face with a petite features. But, I was taller than anyone in sixth grade, and I was skinny and a bit lanky. How would you call that "petite features"? Sure, I had the angel face because of my mom. But, seriously? What the heck were they talking about?

To not be part of Serena and Selena's group of air-head pretty girls, I had to dress like a…boy. Today, I wore a dark purple shirt, dark grey skinny jeans, black Converse, and a dark red hoodie. I had my hood on and my hands stuffed in the pockets of my hoodie as I sat in my seat. The only thing that was relatively girly was this amulet my mom gave me on my fifth birthday. The amulet had an ocean-blue jewel with sea-green flecks. The jewel had a gold chain, which allowed the wearer of the amulet to place it around their neck. In the middle of the jewel, was a gold trident. It was small and barely noticeable. The trident could only be seen if it glowed, but it never glowed.

Anyway, Serena and Selena were chatting away with each other as one of their posse threw chucks of rice at my best friend, Harper.

Harper was the weirdest girl in school…well to everyone else she was. Harper was scrawny and about the same height as me. She would cry and scream in frustration or when she couldn't get what she wanted. She was teased at by the girls because of her looks. Harper had strawberry-blonde hair, golden yellow eyes, and peachy skin. Her hair would always be in a mess, her eyes were an unnatural color, and she had freckles on her cheeks that Selena would always say "You look like a connect-a-dot picture". Harper wore blue jeans, blue Converse, and a big black jacket that covered her whole torso. She always wore the jacket, no matter what. And she would never take off her black leather gloves that covered her whole hand and some parts of her forearm.

Anyhow, the girl kept throwing rice at Harper while teasing her.

"What's with the bulky jacket?" the girl teased. "You got bad skin or you're just too ugly to show your body?"

I so wanted to punch her in the face, but I couldn't even have the guts to speak out loud. Ever since I was little, I've always had this feeling like I should never speak. Since then, everywhere I go; I never spoke a word, nor be able to communicate with anyone. But, lucky me, my mom taught me sign-language.

"I'm gonna kill her," I said in sign-language.

Harper tried to calm me down. "Don't worry. I like rice, it's very healthy."

She dodged another piece of the girl's lunch.

"That's it," I said in sign-language. I started to get up, but Harper pulled me back to my seat.

"You don't want to get in trouble, do you? I mean, isn't your goal to _not_ get into any sort of trouble during this trip?"

Looking back, I should have tackled the girl and pulled her hair right then and there. Suspension or expulsion would have been nothing compared to what mess I was about to get myself into.

….

Mr. Vasiliou led the museum tour.

He walked ahead of us, guiding through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases filled with really old black-and-orange pottery. There was another sixth grade class there too, probably from that Yancy Academy that the headmistress talked about.

It was amazing that this stuff survived for two thousand, maybe even three thousand years.

He gathered us around this stone wall that was covered in pictures of ancient Greek heroes. I would have like to see the exhibit the Yancy kids were looking at, especially see what the Yancy kids were like. I heard the Yancy Academy was for troubled kids, so I wondered what they were like. He told us about the heroes that were painted on the wall. I was trying to hear what he had to say, because I actually wanted to learn something on this trip, but Harper and I were near Serena and Selena's group who wouldn't stop talking. I wanted to tell them to shut up, but every time I was about to get their attention, the other chaperone teacher, Ms. Nomed, gave me a look that said, "Don't cause trouble, now dear".

Ms. Nomed was this tall English teacher from London, England who always wore a leather jacket, white shirt, black skinny jeans, and motorcycle boots. It kinda scared me, since she was this twenty year old woman who seemed to have everyone love her. She had long red hair, shimmering blue eyes, and fair skin. Her voice was soft and raspy. The boys would swoon over her looks and the girls were the apples of her eyes. She had come to Devon halfway through the year and everyone loved her but Harper and Mr. Vasiliou. I, on the other hand, was the one she loved the most and the one she always kept in check.

From the first day she arrived, Ms. Nomed treated me like an angel and whenever someone bullied me or teased me about not being able to speak, she would give the person detention or send them to the office. At Devon, there was a zero-tolerance policy with bullying. Either be nice and not get in trouble, or be a bullying you go straight to the headmistress. She also would help me when I struggled in reading. For me, my dyslexia made it hard for me to read or write. Ms. Nomed helped me so much; it felt like my dyslexia was slowly disappearing. But, there was something about her that made me nervous…and scared.

Mr. Vasiliou kept talking about the painting with the heroes.

Finally, Serena and Selena pushed Harper and she fell to the ground. Everyone was laughing at her. I walked up to them.

"You two are jerks," I said in sign-language. "Unlike you two, Harper and I were trying to learn something until you rudely interrupted us."

Some of the dyslexic kids who were also unfortunately deaf gasped when they saw what I said in sign-language.

Mr. Vasiliou (I have to call him that when I'm in school instead of Uncle Demetrius) stopped his story.

"Ms. Summers," he said, "did you have a comment?"

I shook my head, my face totally red.

Mr. Vasiliou pointed to two pictures on the stone wall. "Perhaps you can tell us what scenes these two pictures come from in a myth."

I looked at the painting, and felt a flush of relief, because I actually know what it was. "One of the scenes is Odysseys tied to the mast to listen to the song of the Sirens, right?" I said, in sign-language. "And the other scene is the Muses turning the Sirens to stone to stop them from eating anymore sailors."

"Yes," Mr. Vasiliou said, obviously not satisfied. "And, tell me, Melody, what do you know about the Sirens? Why do they eat sailors and how do they get them?"

I did more in sign-language, and Harper translated for me.

"The Sirens were bird-woman." Harper said, translating my sign-language. "They had the heads of beautiful women and the bodies of birds. They lived on islands and lured sailors to their islands by singing songs using their hypnotic voices. Their songs were seductive and their voices just as powerful."

"Sounds like they're evil and disgusting," Serena mumbled to Selena, who nodded.

"And do you, Ms. Summers," Vasiliou said, "to paraphrase Ms. Blockson's comment, think Sirens are evil creatures?"

"Busted," Harper sang, smiling wide.

"Shut up," Serena hissed, her face bright red.

Thank the gods for Mr. Vasiliou, who was the only one who would hear her saying anything wrong. Vasiliou had radar ears.

I thought about it, and made more signs.

Harper translated, "I think some Sirens can be good. Not every monster has to be evil. I mean, what if some Sirens only use their singing for good? I think there can be good Sirens and there can be evil Sirens."

"Excellent answer," said Mr. Vasiliou, who obviously looked pleased. "Ms. Summers makes a good point. Some monsters can be good, not all have to be evil as some may think they should. Now, Sirens in Greek mythology are portrayed as evil seductresses who lured men to their islands to tear them apart and eat their flesh. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Ms. Nomed, would you please lead us back outside?"

The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs and the boys making sure the girls were okay.

Harper and I were about to follow when Mr. Vasiliou said, "Melody, I need to talk to you."

I looked at him with uncertainty.

I motioned for Harper to go ahead without me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a boy tell his friend to go without him before facing his teacher in a wheelchair. Probably from the Yancy group that was going to eat outside with us. I looked at my uncle/teacher.

Mr. Vasiliou looked at me with a look that wouldn't let you go; those brown eyes that looked as if they were a thousand years old and seen everything.

"Your answer was very true," he said. "Usually, a student would say the Sirens would be evil because they were cannibals and lured people to their death."

I nodded, though my eyes showed I was asking more questions.

"Melody, you have a bright mind and it can help you through anything the world will throw at you. Just remember to not only trust your instincts and your heart, but to trust your judgment and your mind."

I nodded, but I was unsure what my uncle was talking about. He would always tell me about how my mind and heart could help me through life, how they were the key to see the world through a new light. He would push me, help me get over my dyslexia and bring out the brilliance I always had inside me. I never wanted to let him down, so I gave him a confident smile. I could tell through his eyes that he was proud of me.

He told me to go outside and eat lunch.

…..

The class was gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic on Fifth Avenue. The Devon kids were gathered together, with Mr. Vasiliou telling us the story of the twelve labors of Hercules. Some of the Yancy kids were looking at us, as if they were jealous. The headmistress of our school told us we were going to be with the Yancy kids, and the headmaster of their school told the Yancy kids about us Devon students.

Overhead, a storm was brewing, with the clouds blacker than anything I've ever seen. I blamed it on global warming or something. There has been some freak weather going on across all of New York since Christmas. We'd had massive snow storm, flooding, wildfires from lighting strikes. I wouldn't be surprised if we have a hurricane blowing in.

Nobody else noticed it, though. Our class was busy listening to my uncle's retelling of Hercules' twelve labors. I saw some Yancy boys pelting poor pigeons with Lunchable crackers. This redheaded girl was trying to pit-pocketing some tourist's purse, and this old lady in a leather jacket wasn't seeing a thing. Wow, that's what Yancy was like? Yeesh, I feel sorry for the normal kids, if there were any, at that school.

Harper and I were sitting on the edge of the fountain, the one close to our class. We were sitting by a boy with curly brown hair, acne, and a wispy beard and a boy with sea-green eyes. Guess these guys thought if they sat away from their class, people would think they weren't from Yancy. I feel like I know that sea-green eyed boy before. But, where?

"What did your uncle talk to you about?" Harper asked.

In sign-language, I said, "Nothing. Uncle Demetrius just wanted to tell me to not only trust my heart and my instincts, but to also trust my mind and my judgment."

Harper nodded, and looked at my lunch. She said, "Can I have your plum?"

I nodded and tossed her the plum, which she caught with ease. I didn't have much of an appetite.

I watched a stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and I thought about my mom's apartment, which was only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I haven't seen my mom since Christmas. I wanted so badly to jump in a taxi and head home. But, she would be disappointed and send me back to Devon, and remind me not to give up just because of my dyslexia, ADHD, and my lack of talking. Devon was the only school that helped me do better and get over my dyslexia. I didn't want to disappoint her, so I had to be that brave solider she always said I had to be.

Mr. Vasiliou was captivating everyone with his telling of the twelve labors of Hercules. Right now, he was at labor ten and by the looks of everyone's faces, they never wanted the story to end. That's the thing about my uncle, once he's got a story going; you're hooked until the very end.

I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Selena and Serena walked up to us and dumped their strawberry soda on Harper. Their group of friends started laughing.

"Oops, sorry about that, Harper Finkle," said Serena. "Or should I say Harper _Stinkle_!"

Selena was laughing her head off, making Harper even more embarrassed.

I stood up, anger smoldering inside me. Suddenly, something happened.

"HOW DARE YOU, YOU PRISSY BITCH!"

I don't remember what happened next after I yelled. But, one thing I knew was that Serena was sitting on her butt in the fountain screaming, "Melody pushed me!"

Ms. Nomed appeared right next to us.

Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you just see-"

"-The water-"

"-Like it grabbed her when Melody yelled-"

I had no idea what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was in deep trouble. As soon as Ms. Nomed knew for sure Serena was okay, Ms. Nomed looked at me. A small smile formed on her face.

"Melody, it is not nice to push people in the fountain, even if they were bullying your friends."

I nodded, looking down at my hands.

"Now, come with me."

"Wait!" Harper yelped. "It was me. _I _pushed Serena."

I couldn't believe it. I stared at Harper, completely stunned. Harper was scared of Ms. Nomed the moment she step foot in Devon. It was like Harper thought Ms. Nomed was a demon and I would be in deep trouble if I went with Ms. Nomed.

Ms. Nomed ignored her and grabbed my arm. She led me to the museum, probably to buy Serena a new shirt to replace her wet one. Harper watched as I was dragged, her eyes looking at me, and then to Mr. Vasiliou. Mr. Vasiliou was busy telling his story to the students who wanted to hear it, that he didn't even see Ms. Nomed drag me away.

She led me inside, probable in the direction of the gift shop.

But, apparently, that wasn't the case.

Ms. Nomed took me to the music exhibit, the newest installment to the museum. Thunder roared outside, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw two figures go inside the Greek and Roman section. I swear, I think it was the sea-green eyed kid that was being dragged by an old lady in a leather jacket.

Ms. Nomed crossed her arms as she stood in front of a lyre, an instrument I heard that the Greeks used. The lyre was inside a glass case, and behind it were more ancient instruments and new instruments. She had this smile on her face, a wicked one.

Even without the smile, I would still be nervous. It was weird to be alone with a teacher, especially Ms. Nomed. Something about the way she looked at the lyre, as if she wanted to use it for something…

"I never thought you would ever speak, dear."

I gulped, realizing I did speak. Actually, I yelled. For the first time, I actually spoke.

She adjusted her leather jacket. "My, my, I never thought you would speak. Calling Serena a 'prissy bitch' was such a strong insult. And the way you said it, your voice sound so…angered."

The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.

She's just a teacher, I thought nervously. She's just a teacher with a scary glare and she's not gonna hurt me.

"I-I'm sorry ma'am," I whispered. "I won't do it again, I promise…"

Outside, thunder boomed and shook the building.

"We are not fools, Melody Summers," said Ms. Nomed. "It was only a matter of time before we found out before _they _do. Just come with me so no one, not even your uncle, can get hurt."

I had no idea what the fuck she was talking about.

Why does she want to take me away? Who was this "they" she was talking about? I slowly backed up, trying to keep my distance from her. Ms. Nomed was crazy and there was no way in hell I'm going with her anywhere.

"Well?"

"I'm not going with you! When I tell Uncle Demetrius us, I'm-"

"You're time is up!"

Then, the weirdest thing happened. Ms. Nomed's eyes turned red and glowed like embers. Her jacket and hands disappeared and became giant, feathery wings. Her feet became like those of a bird and had long, razor sharp talons. She flew up, and started speaking in ancient Greek. But, I understood what she said.

_"You will be one of us! Your mother and others may have become the good Sirens and vow to serve the gods of Olympus, but you are not the average Siren."_

She flew down, and nearly sliced me to ribbons. I screamed and ran. I hid near the lyre. Ms. Nomed screeched, and landed right in front of me.

"You're crazy! Leave me alone!"

_"Child, you're a fool!"_

Then, things got even weirder. Something was tossed and landed by my feet. I looked down, and saw a small, silver ballpoint pen by my feet. Without the slightest thought, I picked it up, and it transformed in my hands. It turned into a bronze dagger, the blade longer than an average dagger's blade. Ms. Nomed flew towards me, and everything went in slow-mo. The only thing I knew for sure was when Ms. Nomed came close to me; I stabbed her in the chest.

She exploded and turned into a golden powder, which sprinkled on the floor, leaving nothing but a scream, the smell of salt, and an evil chill in the air.

I was alone.

The dagger that was once in my hands was now a ballpoint pen.

My hands were trembling in fear and confusion. Part of my mind was thinking that I ate something bad, but the other part was thinking it was all too real. I brushed off the thought and stuffed the pen in my pocket.

I walked outside when it started raining.

Harper was standing by Mr. Vasiliou, hiding under my uncle's umbrella. Serena was standing with Selena, still soaked from her swim from the fountain and grumbling to her. When she saw me, she shot a glare, but I ignored it.

I walked over to Harper and Mr. Vasiliou, daring not to talk. I was still shaking from what happened with Ms. Nomed.

"Mel, are you okay?" Harper asked sweetly.

I looked at them with scared eyes. I whispered quietly in Greek.

"_She was a Siren._"

"Who was?"

I didn't answer. I went back on the bus, still shaken up. I sat in the back, and I took off my hood. The rain had soaked my hood so much, it seeped through. My hair was wet, but I didn't worry about that. I worried about my eyes.

They had turned a stunning sea-green.

…

**Wow, this is the longest chapter I've ever wrote. Over 4,000 words!**

**Anyway, I based this chapter off chapter one of "The Lighting Thief", so if you see any similarities between my story and the book is because I placed it during "The Lighting Thief" and made it like the book. I also put the field trip Percy went on when he was in Yancy. So, did you see where he and his class were?**

**And, Nomed is something spelled backwards. Can anyone guess? **

**Review, follow, and favorite please! **

**Sayonara!**


	3. A Woman

**~A Woman Warns Me of Them and Tells Me of a Safe Haven~**

…

I can't deny it; I'm crazy and delusional. Ever since the field trip to the museum, my mind has been playing a twenty-four/seven hallucination on me, something I just couldn't handle. For the rest of the school year, the whole campus has been playing some sort of trick on me. The students acted as if they were completely and totally convinced that Mrs. Eitner—a strict redheaded woman whom I'd never seen in my life until she got on our bus after I told Harper Ms. Nomed was a Siren—had been our English teacher since Christmas.

Ever so often I would spring a Ms. Nomed reference on somebody, just to see if I could trip them up, but they would look at me for a) surprised that I was able to talk and b) I was acting like a total psycho.

It got so I almost believed them—Ms. Nomed had never even existed.

Almost.

But Harper couldn't fool me. When I mention the name Nomed to her, she would hesitate, then claim she didn't exist. But, I knew she was lying through her teeth.

I didn't have time to think about it during the days, but at night, visions of Ms. Nomed in her Siren form trying to get me woke me up in cold sweat.

The freak weather continued, which didn't help my mood. One night, the rain fell so hard, it leaked through the roof and ceiling. A few days later, a thunderstorm caused lighting to hit the right in front of the doors to the dorms, the girls' dorms to be exact. Everyone was on edge, as if they were waiting for the freak weather to destroy the school.

I started to feel nervous, on edge, and scared. I would be detached from any of my friends, like Harper and some girls who were in orchestra and choir with me, and I had a hard time sleeping. Though my grades were affected, teachers sent me to the school councilor to talk about my sudden personality change. I would snap at Selena and Serena at any chance I could get. I spent more time in my room, in the library, or in the music room more than hanging out with my friends.

Finally, Mr. Vasiliou and Ms. Bennett, the school's orchestra teacher and choir director, thought that maybe it was time for some spirit lifting activities for everyone, including me. They set up a grand assembly to celebrate the coming of summer vacation. They gave me a chance to perform, just to lift my spirits.

The headmistress sent letters home to every parent to invite them for the assembly, to see their children perform if they were in dance, orchestra, band, or choir. The headmistress sent a special invitation to my mom and father, telling them I would perform a special solo.

Perfect, I thought. Just perfect.

My mom would always come to see me perform, since she knew I love music more than anything. When I was little, she would record me playing at concerts or at home for her. But, father was very…distant. He was a drinker with a problem. I loved him, but he had a hallow-out heart that was heavy in his chest. He would hit my mom and I would end up with my back against the door, listening to them argue and curse at each other. I could never understand what they were saying, since my mom would curse in Greek and my father curse in Italian. That's why I never told anyone about him.

But, part of me kept saying he wasn't my father. It kept saying my real father was watching over me, trying to see me but was kept away by something. Maybe I was just ashamed of my dad.

Anyway, everyone was in the auditorium. You know where plays were held and any other musical thing. Usually auditorium were in high schools, but that's just how rich and special our school was. The dance kids had already performed, meaning it was nearing the end of the assembly. Everyone was cheering. I was near the left stage entrance, looking at the crowd. My mom, Marina Sapphira Summers, and my father, Marcus, were sitting in the front row, waiting for me to perform.

I was so nervous. This is going to be the first time I was going to sing in front of people. I mean, all my life I never spoke a word or sang one. Heck, even my own mom doesn't know what my voice sounded like! But, I prayed to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom my mom always prayed to, and went onstage.

Everyone was watching me, waiting for me to sing. I held the microphone in my hands, took a deep breath, and sang.

_Four years old with my back to the door_

_All I could hear was the family war_

_Your selfish hands always expecting more_

_Am I your child or just a charity award?_

_You have a hollowed out heart_

_But it's heavy in your chest_

_I try so hard to fight it but it's hopeless_

_Hopeless, you're hopeless_

_Oh, father, please, father_

_I'd love to leave you alone_

_But I can't let you go_

_Oh, father, please, father_

_Put the bottle down_

_For the love of a daughter_

_Oh_

_It's been five years since we've spoken last_

_And you can't take back_

_What we never had_

_Oh, I can't be manipulated_

_Only so many times,_

_Before even "I love you"_

_Starts to sound like a lie_

_You have a hollowed out heart_

_But it's heavy in your chest_

_I try so hard to fight it but it's hopeless_

_Hopeless, you're hopeless_

_Oh, father, please, father_

_I'd love to leave alone_

_But I can't let you go_

_Oh, father, please, father_

_Put the bottle down_

_For the love of a daughter_

_Don't you remember I'm your baby girl?_

_How could you push me out of your world,_

_Lied to your flesh and your blood,_

_Put your hands on the ones you swore you love?_

_Don't you remember I'm your baby girl?_

_How could you throw me right out of your world?_

_So young when the pain had begun_

_Now forever afraid of being loved_

_Oh, father, please, father_

_I'd love to leave you alone_

_But I can't let you go_

_Oh, father, please, father_

_Oh, father, please, father_

_Put the bottle down_

_For the love of a daughter_

For the love of a daughter

Everyone stood up out of their seats, and started cheering loudly. I smiled as I waved. I started walking off stage, heading towards Harper, who was waiting by an exit. I was about to run up to her when a voice caught my attention.

_"Melody…"_

I stopped, dead in my tracks. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a woman dressed in a long black dress and her face hidden behind a black veil. I slowly walked over to her, my mind racing.

_"Who are you?"_

_ "That does not matter. Right now, you are in grave danger."_

_ "What are you talking?"_

_ "Ms. Nomed was just the beginning of your troubles. You must go to the safe haven."_

_ "Safe haven?"_

I stopped right in front of her. What was she doing here? How did she even get backstage? The woman's voice was simply hypnotic, like I was under a spell.

_"Wait, am I speaking-?"_

_ "Ancient Greek? Yes, you are a Greek, after all. Your brain is hardwired to understand Greek. Why, even your name, Melody, is a Greek name, like your mother's name."_

_ "What's your name?"_

_ "I am Xandra, an Ancient."_

_ "An Ancient what?"_

_ "You know, Melody, you're not stupid. Now, you must leave for the safe haven immediately."_

_ "What for?"_

Xandra looked around, and then spoke in a soft whisper.

_"You must find Melaina "Melanie" Forgoes, Nicolette Archer, and Vanessa Motoyama and head for Long Island, New York. There, you girls and your friend, Harper, must head to a hill with a pine tree on it. Though Nicolette and Vanessa are just half bloods, you must get there to be safe from _them_. Understand child?"_

_ "But I-"_

_ "Farewell, young Melody."_

Xandra walked away, leaving me very confused. I shrugged it off, and ran towards Harper. She looked absolutely paled.

"Mel, was that Xandra?"

I nodded. "Why? Do you know her?"

Harper grabbed my arm and led me back to our dorm. On the way, she was muttering something under her breath.

"Sixth grade, it's always sixth grade. Why can't they just leave them be when they're determined? They have to get them when they're undetermined!"

…..

We were in our dorm, packing our stuff. The assembly yesterday wiped me out, so I didn't get the chance to see my mom and father or tell Harper about what Xandra told me. Though, as Harper was dragging me after she asked if I was talking to Xandra, I heard Harper talking to someone on the phone, someone named "Mr. Brunner" and she was saying something about Xandra. What was my best friend hiding?

Harper was packing everything, even some strange relics Mr. Vasiliou gave her. Harper was muttering in Italian, probably some swears or something.

I, on the other hand, was packing silently. I kept thinking about what Xandra said, and what she was warning me about. Maybe Harper knew, since Xandra mentioned her.

"Hey Harp?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you know who Melaina Forgoes, Nicolette Archer, and Vanessa Motoyama are?"

Harper hesitated, and then said, "Melaina I don't know, Nicolette I don't know, and Vanessa is in our science class. You know the one who is constantly bullied by Selena?"

Oh, _that _Vanessa Motoyama. Vanessa was a blond haired girl with grey eyes, thick black frame glasses, and peachy skin. Vanessa was one of the smartest girls in class, considering she also had dyslexia. She never let her dyslexia get in her way of gaining knowledge. I even heard her say she wanted to get as much knowledge as she could to be like her mom, who let her as a baby due to family problems. Vanessa was pretty, so she, like me, is constantly being bullied until we agree to join Serena and Selena's air-head group.

"Oh, good."

"Why are you asking me these things?"

"I was just going to ask Vanessa if she wanted to hang out with us over the summer."

"I think she can."

I looked at Harper, very confused about how she knew that. "Wait, how do you know that?"

"I hang out with her too. In fact, she's coming with me to my house over the summer. This reminds me, here's my card. So, you know; if you want to visit me over the summer."

She handed me this small, rectangular card with red cursive writing. The cursive was torture to my dyslexic eyes, but I could almost make it out.

_Harper Finkle_

_Protector/Messenger_

_Half-Blood Hill_

_Long Island, New York_

"What's Half—"

"Don't say it out loud!"

I stared at Harper, like she was a total fruit-loop. Harper sighed as she placed on her backpack, grabbed her red suitcase, and walked over to the door.

"Come on; let's head to the bus so we can make it to the city."

…..

Harper, Vanessa Motoyama, and I were on the same Greyhound, heading towards Manhattan. Vanessa was a very quiet girl, but she was very nice and very intelligent. If you talked to her, you wouldn't know she had dyslexia!

Vanessa was reading a book, a Latin book, while Harper was looking around the bus, as if she was waiting for something. I looked out the window, bored out of my mind. The rain had come again, this time it was raining hard. My reflection on the bus window stared back at me.

My ebony-black hair was a mess, but a pretty mess. My medium grey eyes seemed to be two shades lighter and my skin seemed to be even paler. I wore a dark blue long-sleeve shirt, black skinny jeans, dark grey hoodie vest, and navy-blue Converse. My only luggage was a purple backpack and large green duffel bag. Suddenly, the bus stopped and we were in the city.

Harper got up first and Vanessa and I followed her. Once we were on the sidewalk, Vanessa pulled out an umbrella and opened it. I pulled on my hood and Harper stood by Vanessa, under the umbrella.

"So, which way is your house, Melody?" Vanessa asked in a quiet voice.

I motioned them to follow me and we headed towards my home.

…..

**I know, shorter chapter than the last one. And this one wasn't as good as the last two. But, don't worry; the next one will be lengthy and better than this one. So, don't worry.**

**Short author's notes are short.**

**Review, follow, and favorite please!**

**Sayonara! **


	4. We Meet

**~We Meet Two Girls, Battle a Siren, and Arrive at Camp Half Blood~**

...

A word about my mom, before you meet her.

As I said before, my mom is Marina Sapphira Summers and she's the best person in the world, which just proves my theory that the best people have the rottenest of luck. Her own father left her family for a young, rich girl. Then, her mom went missing and five days later, she was found dead on the beach near their home. My mom and her sister, Aunt Melissa, lived on the streets of their small Greek village until Melissa got enough money to go to medical school in New York. But, half of their money got stolen. My mom had to sell her acoustic guitar, the last thing her mom gave her before she died, to help pay for the plane ride to New York. They lived in a small, rundown apartment until Aunt Melissa got her medical degree and my mom got a job in a small music store.

Then, good luck came when I was born. Unfortunately, my mom was married to a major-league jerk and a jackass.

Marcus, who was nice the first thirty seconds when my mom met him, then he showed his true colors as a world-class asshole. When I was young, I nicknamed him "Man of A Thousand Swears". I'm sorry, but it's the truth. He would constantly swear whenever he could, even with a little kid present. Not to mention he was very abusive and a drinker, as I said before. I just wish my mom would leave the guy and live with Auntie Melissa and Uncle Demetrius.

There are so many reasons I want my mom to leave the jerk. Like how…well when I came home with Harper and Vanessa is a good example.

….

We walked into my little apartment; I was hoping there wouldn't be another "family battle". But, curse you cruel fate, a bottle was thrown and smashed on a wall. Vanessa gave a surprised shriek and Harper blushed with embarrassed on my behalf. My mom and Marcus were in the living room, caught up in another screaming match. From what I could understand from my mom, she was saying that we should move somewhere else in New York, maybe somewhere else in the East Coast of the USA. But, I could tell Marcus did not want that to happen.

They stopped when they saw me. Marcus just gave the stare; the one that said "Oh, it's _her_." My mom softened her expression when she saw me. She walked over to me and gave me a big hug.

"Rena! Oh, welcome home, my little songbird."

I didn't return the hug because I understood what she was arguing with Marcus.

"We're moving?" I asked, half excited and half not willing to.

"So the runt can talk," muttered Marcus. "And I thought she was going to be one of the stupid kids."

"Marcus," my mom snapped, "Serena is not stupid! Just because she has dyslexia doesn't mean she's dumb! You better shut your fu—"

"Stop!" I yelled.

Marcus and Mom looked at me, utterly surprised. Harper gave me the warning look while Vanessa looked like she thought she was intruding. I ignored it and started yelling.

"I came home to find you two fighting again! For once in your lives, can't you not have a yelling match with each other and get along?! Why can't you be like normal parents and say when I get home 'You did amazing at the concert' or 'How was your sixth grade year' or 'Did your English teacher turn out to be a Siren and tried to kidnap you and then some woman named Xandra come and warn you about some grave danger you're in?'!"

My mom stared at me, utterly scared, while Marcus was absolutely steaming. He walked up to me, and was about to punch me when the doorbell rang. Marcus literally cursed at the door.

"Who the hell is that?!"

Marcus stomped towards the door and flung it open. My eyes went wide with fear as Harper and Vanessa clung to my arms. I swear, I could have dropped my bags and ran if I wasn't so afraid.

Standing at the door was Ms. Nomed, a blond woman, and a brunette woman. They all wore the same outfit Ms. Nomed wore and the same evil grin.

…

I was literally shaking in fear as Marcus was staring at the three women. He looked at them with interest, and he spoke in a smooth voice.

"Why hello ladies. What can I do for you on this fine—"

The blond pulled out a gun and shot it. The bullet hit Marcus in the chest and he fell to the ground. My mom screamed as she stared cursing at the woman in Greek. Ms. Nomed and the brunette walked towards my mom and grabbed her arms. They hissed at her and replied in Greek. My mom looked at us and said:

"HARPER! TAKE THEM TO THE SAFE HAVEN AND TELL THEM WHAT HAPPENED!"

Harper looked at her with uncertainty. "But that's only for half bloods!"

"JUST GO!"

Harper nodded and grabbed me and Vanessa. She dragged us outside, with the blond Siren following us. Harper kept glancing around, while me and Vanessa were holding on to our luggage. The rain was pouring hard, but somehow we didn't slow down. The blond Siren was on our tail, yelling at us in Greek. I still can't believe no one is seeing this happening! Hello? There are three girls being chased by a crazy, evil Siren here!

Finally, Harper found a bus stop and we got on the bus. The weird thing was that the bus driver didn't stop us to pay or ask us question. All she did was look at Harper, and nodded to us. We headed to the back and sat down. No one else was on the bus, but we were on edge. We sat in complete silence before I spoke up.

"Okay, what in the name of the gods is going on? First, I turned my English teacher to dust, next I met this woman named Xandra and she warns me of danger, and now we are being chased by a blond Siren while Ms. Nomed has my mom captive! And how come Ms. Nomed is alive?! I thought I killed her back at the museum!"

"Melody, do you really want to know?"

I threw my hands up in the air and yelled, "Hell yes! I'm more confused than ever!"

Harper drew in a deep breath and said, "You're not human. You're…something very rare and very powerful. Something that people would kill for to get you."

"Well now I feel better…"

"You're a half blood," Vanessa said abruptly.

Harper shook her head. "No, she's more than that. She's also half Siren, meaning she's half Siren and half god. A Siren demi-god if you will."

"But, that would mean my mom is a Siren and Marcus is just some mortal she married."

"Correct. You see, I was sent to your school to get Vanessa, since I could sense she was a half blood. Turns out, I was right. But, when I met you, I knew you were one too, but you also had Siren in you."

"So wait, the Greek gods are real and all the myths we learned in Latin are real?"

"Yes, Xandra is an Ancient Siren, one of the Sirens who are good and swore to help the gods in any way they can. The good Sirens also got the attention of the gods, and some gods wanted to…err…wanted them in a way."

"They wanted to be with them? How? Sirens had the body of a bird and the head of beautiful woman."

"Well, an unnamed god saw that there were good Sirens and pitied upon them for having to be labeled evil due to the evil Sirens. So, that god gave the Sirens a gift to be able to turn from their Siren form to a human form. Unfortunately, the evil Sirens got this gift by accident so…"

I remained silent, glancing at Vanessa and back at the window. I kept my eyes on the window, but so the bus came to a stop. We almost fell off our seats.

"Ye gods, what is going on?" Vanessa asked.

Harper stood up and held her luggage. She walked to the front of the bus and went outside. Unsure of what to do, me and Vanessa followed.

….

Harper was way of ahead of us, but she stopped dead in her tracks. Vanessa and I were right behind her when she yelled into the darkness.

"I can see you two. Don't worry; we're heading to the safe haven too. Just come out."

Out from the shadows, two girls, who looked to be our age, came out. The first girl had long, chestnut-brown hair, amber eyes, and fair skin. She wore a white shirt under a black leather jacket, dark blue skinny jeans, and black motorcycle boots. She held a black duffel bag in her hand and a scowl on her face. The second girl had short, brown hair with blond highlights, stunning emerald eyes, and peachy skin. She wore a blood-red shirt, black leather vest, red skinny jeans, and black motorcycle boots. She held the straps of her beat-up backpack as she stared at us.

"Who are you?" asked the amber eyed girl.

"You tell us first who you are," I said.

The amber eyed girl narrowed her eyes before speaking, "I am Melaina Forgoes, and this is Nicolette Archer. Who are you?"

"I am Melody Summers, the strawberry-blond girl is Harper Finkle, and the blond is Vanessa Motoyama."

"We are heading to Camp Half Blood," Harper cut in. "You need to come with us."

"Says who," said Melaina, her voice edgy.

"Xandra the Ancient."

Melaina looked at Nicolette, who nodded. We were all about to go when a screech filled the air.

_"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE, YOUNG MELODY!"_

We all looked up and saw the blond Siren flying towards us. At first we all froze, all of us unsure of what to do. But, soon, weapons were drawn.

Melaina pulled out a sword, Nicolette pulled out a bow and arrow, Vanessa pulled out a spear, and I pulled out my pen which turned into a dagger. Harper looked at us with a stern face.

"Guys, we have to get to camp before she gets us!"

"No way," said Melaina. "I've wanted to show my father what I'm made of ever since he claimed me during my trip here! I'm going to show that I'm a daughter of Ares for a reason!"

"Harper's right," said Vanessa. "I'm not a daughter of Athena for nothing. Attacking it without a battle plan is very stupid and we're asking for a death wish."

"How do you know you're a daughter of Athena?" Nicolette asked.

"My father told me," Vanessa said simply. "My mom told him for some odd reason. Usually, gods and goddesses don't tell their human mate who they are. Strange, right?" She paused for a minute. "Who's your godly parent?"

"Apollo," said Nicolette, "god of prophecy, archery, and music. I knew it because he claimed me when I met Melaina while she was making her trip to camp and when she was claimed. I guess our fathers really wanted to claim us."

I coughed loudly and got the group's attention. I gestured towards the incoming Siren and we started running. As we ran, I saw a hill with a pine tree coming into view. We ran faster, and the Siren picked up speed.

"It's a good thing Grover came here before us," Harper muttered.

I raised an eyebrow. Who's Grover? I decided not to ask that question since we were running for our lives.

Running gave me time to think. The Greek gods and goddesses Uncle Demetrius and mom told me about me actually real, real as the stars in the sky. And, Melaina, Nicolette, and Vanessa were daughters of them? That was so…mind-blowing. And Harper said I was one of them, and a Siren. So, what god would fell in love with my mom and made her have a child who had their godly blood in them? The list seemed to be short, since I couldn't think of a god who would want to love a Siren.

We were coming close to the hill when the blond Siren grabbed Harper and flew up with her. We stopped right in front of the hill and looked up.

"HARPER!"

Harper was screaming her lungs out as the Siren started to fly away. Nicolette got in front of us, aimed her arrow, and fired. The arrow flew through the air and hit the Siren right in the…butt.

The Siren screamed and she dropped Harper. Harper started falling. But, she removed her jacket and gloves and I could faintly make out a pair of strawberry-blond wings. Wait a minute…was Harper a Siren too?! I looked closely at Harper…wait…Harper…

"Oh my god, Harper is a Harpy!"

Harper landed in front of us, and quickly put on her jacket and gloves. I looked at her, and she gave me a very apologetic look.

"Harper, you're a…"

"Look, I wanted to tell you. But, I wasn't sure how to explain my…unique story about my parents."

I placed my hands on my hips and dropped my luggage. I gave her my signature glare, which made her start her story.

"Okay, my mom was a harpy and she was able to turn into a human. In her human form, she met my father and they had me. I know, I'm a freak and you probably don't want to—"

"Harper, it doesn't matter. What matters is you tell me where the hell are we."

"Um," said Melaina, "hate to break this up but…THE MOTHERFUCKING SIREN IS STILL HERE!"

Melaina pointed her sword towards the Siren who was flying right above us. Nicolette aimed her arrow, but the Siren was flying too fast for her to get her aim right. Melaina and Vanessa were arguing and Harper ran up the hill, leaving us behind.

I stood there, staring up at the Siren. My brain kept trying to think up ways to either kill the Siren or get her out of here. Then, an idea popped into my head. I picked up a rock and chucked it at the Siren. The rock hit the Siren in the head, gaining her attention. The Siren looked in my direction.

"Hey Blondie!"

The Siren growled as she landed right in front of us. She slowly approached us, eyes filled with anger and by her expression on her face; she really wanted to kill us. Melaina and Vanessa stopped arguing, and looked at the Siren. Nicolette just stared at the Siren, her hands shaking. I slowly approached the Siren.

_"You are a fool, young Melody. Why be with the half bloods when you can be with your own kind?"_

"For your information, I have godly blood in me. So, technically I belong with the…half bloods."

Okay, I may have just found out all this crazy information in one day, but I know I had to get this Siren out of here before she follows to Camp Half Blood, whatever Camp Half Blood is.

The Siren slowly approached me, smiling evilly as she did. I kept my guard up, and made sure I had my dagger in my grasp. Then, I charged.

The Siren obviously didn't expect it, so I was able to catch her off guard. I sliced at her wing, almost severing it. The Siren screeched, and smacked me with her uninjured wing. I was thrown back, but I landed on my feet. The Siren growled, but an arrow hit her in the butt again. The Siren turned around, and saw Nicolette behind her. Nicolette scowled at the Siren.

"Get your feathery butt outta here!"

The Siren hissed and flew towards Nicolette, despite the damage in her wing. But, a spear was thrown and hit the Siren in her other wing. The Siren fell to the ground, and let out an ear-splitting shriek. Vanessa walked over to the fallen Siren, and plucked out her spear. Vanessa smirked.

"Wow, my calculations were correct. The trajectory, though just an estimation, was dead on. Got the Siren right in the wing!"

Melaina walked beside her, and patted her on the shoulder. Melaina bent over the Siren, and stabbed her right in the chest. The Siren shrieked, and turned into gold dust. I walked over to them, not believing what I just saw.

"Whoa," I said, utterly in shock and awe.

"Not bad, Songbird," said Melaina, who elbowed me in the side. "But, next time, kill the Siren before she follows you to camp."

"It's not her fault she didn't know what she was until now," said Vanessa.

Vanessa and Melaina glared at each other. I looked over at Nicolette, who gave an apologetic smile and a shrug. I sighed and grabbed my bags, and everyone grabbed theirs. When we got our bags, we heard shouting and footsteps. Melaina pointed her sword in one hand, and held her duffel bag in the other. Nicolette aimed her arrow; her backpack was on her back and had extra arrows sticking out. Vanessa pointed her spear at the coming figures, her suitcase and backpack at her feet. I, on the other hand, turned my dagger into a pen, stuffed it in my pocket, and grabbed my duffel bag and backpack.

Harper, who had people following her, came running down the hill. She stopped in front of us, and gave a sigh.

"It's okay," Harper said to the people who followed her, "they defeated the Siren! You can tell Chiron to not worry about it and go back to worry about Percy!"

The people nodded and ran back up the hill. Harper motioned us to follow her, which we happily did.

We start walking up the hill, in silence. Once we were at the top, near the pine tree, Harper stopped and looked at us.

"Okay," said Harper, "since Melaina, Nicolette, and Vanessa are determined, meaning their parents have claimed them, they have to go to their cabins that represent their parents."

Melaina, Nicolette, and Vanessa nodded. I looked at Harper.

"What about me?" I asked. "Where will I go?"

"Well," Harper said, scratching the back of her neck. "Since you undetermined, meaning we don't know your godly parent, you have to go to the…Hermes cabin."

I raised an eyebrow, making Harper sigh.

"Come on, it's late. You guys need rest if you want to meet the whole camp. Follow me."

Harper took us to this…place. I couldn't describe it well, since it was dark out. All I knew was that it had four beds for me, Melaina, Nicolette, and Vanessa. Melaina and Nicolette fell onto their beds, and soon they were out like a light. Vanessa sat on her bed; legs crossed under her, and read her Latin book using a flashlight she got from her backpack.

Harper and I took a walk by a big farmhouse. As we walked, I asked Harper everything that confused me.

"One, how come no one remembered Ms. Nomed and why did no one saw the Blondie Siren chase us?"

"Well, humans have a funny way of wrapping their minds around things and fit them into their version of reality. There's this thing call Mist that clouds what really happens and the humans see something else. Say if you were battling a monster with your dagger. With the Mist, humans see you with a knife trying to stab a man or woman, depending on what kind of monster it is."

I nodded, kind of understanding Harper's logic.

"Two, what is this place and who are Chiron?"

"Well, this is Camp Half Blood, a safe haven for half bloods or demi-gods. You'll meet Chiron soon."

"Okay, three, every myth that we learned is real?"

"Yes, the gods are real."

"Zeus, Hera, Apollo—those gods are real?"

Thunder boomed, nearly scaring the filling out of me.

"Don't throw names around like that! It can…anger some very powerful people."

I nodded, and stopped. "My mom, is she…?"

Harper placed a warm hand on my shoulder.

"Let's save more of your questions for tomorrow. I need to introduce you and the other girls to Chiron and tell him about…Xandra."

I nodded half-heartedly, and walked back to the place where the others. But, as we walked, I felt something sharp enter my chest. A voice whispered in my ear.

_"Foolish girl…."_

I fell to my knees and Harper started yelling for help.

The last thing I saw were figures coming towards me and I blacked out.

…

**Well, I tried to make it longer and better than the last one. I tried, I really did.**

**I don't know, what do you think?**

**Review, follow, and favorite please!**

**Sayonara!**


	5. I Meet

**~I Meet A Centaur, A God, A Satyr, and the Sea-Green Eyed Boy~**

…..

I had weird dreams filled with voices and blurry figures. The voices either sound worried or confused and the figures moved a lot.

I must've woken up several times, but what I heard made no sense and what I saw just made me even more confused. I remember lying on a soft bed and turning my head to see a girl with curly blond hair spoon-feeding a boy whose bed was next to mine. The girl smirked as she scraped drips of pudding off the boy's chin with the spoon.

When I saw the boy's eyes open, the girl asked, "What will happen at the summer solstice?"

The boy croaked, "What?"

The girl looked around, as if she was afraid someone would overhear. "What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got four weeks!"

"I'm sorry," the boy mumbled, "I don't…"

Somebody knocked on the door, and the girl quickly filled his mouth with pudding. He went out like a light. The girl went over to the door, and opened it. I could hear Harper's voice.

"Vanessa and Melaina got into a fight again. Don't want the Ares cabin help in the fight."

"What am I suppose to do?"

"She _is _your half sister, Annabeth. Besides, Vanessa will only listen and trust you."

The blond who was named Annabeth sighed and followed Harper out. I was left alone with the boy. I tried getting up, but a pain in my chest made me fall back asleep.

The next time I woke up, there was someone else in the room.

A husky blond dude, like a surfer, stood in thecorner of the bedroom keeping watch over me and the boy. He had blue eyes—at least a dozen of them—on his cheeks, his forehead, the backs of his hands.

….

When I finally came around for good, I was no longer in the bedroom with the boy. I was sitting in a deck chair on a huge porch, gazing across a meadow at green hills in the distance. The breeze smelled like strawberries. There was a blanket over my legs, a pillow behind my neck. All that was great, but my throat was drier than the Sahara desert.

On the table next to me was a tall drink. It looked like iced apple juice, with a green straw and a paper parasol stuck through a maraschino cherry.

I grabbed it carefully, and put the straw to my lips. I recoiled at the taste, because I was expecting apple juice. It wasn't at all. It was chocolate-chip cookies. Liquid cookies. Not just any cookies—my Auntie Melissa's homemade blue chocolate-chip cookies. Blue because my aunt and mom love the color blue and thought if we ate blue foods, it would give us good luck and show nothing's impossible. Sigh…

After finishing the drink, I carefully place it back on the table and stood up. I smoothed my clothes, the ones I wore yesterday, and stretched.

"You look well," said a voice.

Harper stood in front of me, smiling as usual. She was wearing blue jeans, Converse low-tops, and a bright orange pull-over hoodie, which was two sizes too big, that said CAMP HALF-BLOOD. Just plain old Harper, but I knew she was still harpy girl.

"Um," said Harper, "Melaina, Vanessa, and Nicolette already got settled in. I already introduce them to Chiron. Come on, you need to meet two people…and my friend."

I looked at her, my shyness and my no-talking default kicked in. I held my amulet tightly, silently praying the people Harper wanted me to meet were going to explain everything. I'm still very confused at the moment.

"Come on, they're waiting."

….

The porch wrapped all the way around a farmhouse.

My legs felt wobbly, trying to walk that far. Harper offered to help me, but I held my ground. If I can stab a Siren in the chest, run and take a bus to escape from Blondie Siren, and fight Blondie Siren with three other girls, I can handle a measly walk.

As we came around the opposite end of the house, I caught my breath.

We must've been on the north shore of Long Island, because on this side of the house, the valley marched all the way up to the water, which glittered about a mile in the distance. Between here and there, I simply couldn't process everything I was seeing. The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture—an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, a circular arena—except that they all looked brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the sun. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school-aged kids and satyrs played volleyball. I was very confused at the sight of that, but hey, my mom's a Siren so…yeah.

Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids in bright orange t-shirts that said CAMP HALF-BLOOD were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range. Others rode horses down a wooded trail, and, unless I was hallucinating, some of their horses had wings.

Down at the end of the porch, two men sat across from each other at a card table. I saw the girl who was named Annabeth, the boy who was on the bed next to me, and a boy wearing blue jeans, Converse high-tops, and a bright orange t-shirt that said CAMP HALF-BLOOD. Okay, so I'm at Camp Half-Blood. Nothing too weird.

Annabeth ran off, and Harper told me to not speak until I formally meet them. I shrugged and stuffed my hands in the pockets of my hoodie vest. As we walked, I took notice to the people at the card table.

One of the men was small, but porky. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He looked like those paintings of baby angels—what do you call them, hubbubs? No, cherubs. That's it. He looked like a cherub who'd turned middle-aged in a trailer park. He wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt, and I could feel like he wasn't the friendliest of people around this camp.

"That's Mr. D," Harper murmured to me. "He's the camp director. Be polite. The girl that just ran off is Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper, but she's been here longer than just about anybody. And that's Chiron."

She pointed to the man who had his back to me. Chiron was sitting in a wheelchair and he had a tweed jacket, thinning brown hair, and the scraggly beard. Harper pointed to the boy wearing the orange shirt.

"That's Grover Underwood, a satyr," Harper said in a low whisper. "And, the boy talking to Chiron is Percy Jackson, who is undetermined like you."

As we got closer, I could hear the conversation.

"Not Mr. Brunner," said Chiron. "I'm afraid that was a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron."

"Okay," said Percy, and he looked at Mr. D. "And Mr. D…does that stand for something?"

Mr. D stopped shuffling some cards. He looked at Percy as if he had belched loudly. "Young man, names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason."

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

Before the conversation went any farther, Harper cleared her throat and spoke. "Excuse me, Chiron? Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Chiron turned around and looked at us. I so wished I could just disappear when people look at me. Percy and Mr. D also looked at us, making me feel even more uncomfortable.

"Ah, Harper," said Chiron. "No, you weren't interrupting anything. Now, who's this?"

I could feel my cheeks heating up. Yep, my shyness default is definitely kicking in.

"This is Melody Summers," said Harper, gesturing to me. "She's one of the ones I brought to camp. She's the only one who's…undetermined."

I tried to look somewhere else, but my gaze went to Percy. He had these stunning sea-green eyes and black hair. He looked to be my age and I swear I feel like I've seen him before. He stared at me back, giving me a sheepish smile. Ho boy, I swear my face was redder than a rose.

"Right Mel?"

I looked at Harper. "W-what," I stuttered.

Harper sighed. "I said that you had been almost kidnapped by the Sirens and their accomplices since you were little, right?"

"Oh, y-yes."

"And, a few days ago you found out Ms. Nomed was a Siren and she and two other Sirens came and kidnapped your mom and that…err…Blondie Siren chased after us."

"You're forgetting about Xandra the Ancient."

Thundered boomed, and Chiron and Mr. D looked at me. Did I say something wrong? Harper elbowed me on my side. I shot her a glare.

"What? All I said was Xandra the—"

Harper clamped her hand over my mouth. "We weren't going to tell them that until you were determined."

I tried speaking, but Harper had this iron grip, so my words were muffled. Chiron looked over at Harper.

"Xandra came to Devon?"

Harper nervously chuckled. She removed her hand from my mouth and started speaking. "Yeah, you see, Xandra came to our school to meet with Melody and—"

"Xandra warned me of trouble far more worst than Ms. Nomed and told me to go to the safe haven," I blurted out. I could just feel Harper's glare on me, but I ignored it. I continued, "She said if I didn't come to the safe haven that 'they' would come after me and three others. Who's they and what the heck do they want with me? And what the heck am I doing here?"

"Yeah, what am I doing here and what is this place?" Percy asked. "Mr. Brun—Chiron—why would you go to Yancy Academy just to teach me?"

Wait, Percy went to Yancy? Oh wait; he's the boy I saw on the field trip to the museum! The one that was sitting near me before I battled Ms. Nomed!

Mr. D snorted. "I asked the same question."

Harper looked at me, and gave me an everything-will-be-answered-soon look. I sighed nodded.

Chiron looked at Percy and gave a sympathetic smile.

"Percy," he said. "Did your mother tell you nothing?"

"She said…" Percy trailed off, as if he was remembering something. "She told me she was afraid to send me here, even though my father had wanted her to. She said that once I was here, I probably couldn't leave. She wanted to keep me close to her."

My heart ached. My mom hadn't told me anything about the truth about her family or that Marcus was just my step-father. She didn't tell me anything. All she told me that I knew I had a different father was that the amulet she gave me. The amulet with the golden trident that I wore and never took off no matter what. The amulet that she said would glow if you felt scared or confused.

"Typical," Mr. D said. "That's how they usually get killed. Young man, are you bidding or not?"

"What?" Percy asked.

He explained, impatiently, how you bid in this game they were playing. By the looks of it, I say they were playing pinochle. He bid.

"I'm afraid there's too much to tell," Chiron said, looking at Percy and then at me. "I'm afraid our usual orientation film won't be sufficient."

"Orientation film?" Percy and I asked.

"No," Chiron decided. "Well, Percy. You know that your friend Grover is a satyr. Melody, you know your friend Harper is a harpy. Percy, you know"—he pointed to a shoe box that must have something inside—"that you have killed the Minotaur. No small feat, either, lad. Melody, you know that you and three other girls defeated a Siren. Impressive, for your first fight. What you two may not know is that great powers are at work in your lives. Gods—the forces you call Greek gods—are very much alive."

Me and Percy stared at the others around the table.

I waited for someone to yell, _Not! _But, all I got was Mr. D yelling, "Oh, a royal marriage. Trick! Trick!" He cackled as he tallied up his points.

"Mr. D," Grover asked timidly, "if you're not going to eat it, could I have your Diet Coke can?"

Oh, I didn't even notice Grover. He's a satyr, considering he asked to eat a can.

"Eh? Oh, all right."

Grover bit a huge shard out of the empty aluminum can and chewed it mournfully. Yep, he's a satyr alright. Half goat and half man.

"Wait," Percy told Chiron. "You're telling me there's such a thing as God."

"Well, now," Chiron said. "God—capital _G_, God. That's a different matter altogether. We shan't deal with the metaphysical."

"Metaphysical? But you were just talking about—"

I elbowed Percy in his side. "He was talking about the _other _gods not _the _God," I whispered to him.

Percy was about to elbow me when Chiron spoke again.

"Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter."

"Smaller?" Percy asked.

"Yes, quite. The gods we discussed in Latin class."

"Zeus," Percy said. "Hera. Apollo. You mean them."

I elbow Percy again, remembering what Harper said about names. Thunder boomed on this cloudless day.

"Young man," said Mr. D, "I would be really less casual about throwing those names around, if I were you."

"But they're stories," Percy said. "They're—myths, to explain lighting and the seasons and stuff. They're what people believed before there was science."

I elbowed Percy really hard, this time. Even though I still don't believe what's going on, I know that the gods were as real as the Sirens that kidnapped my mom.

"Science!" Mr. D scoffed. "And tell me, Perseus Jackson"—I saw Percy flinched when Mr. D said his full name, making me crack a small smirk—"what will people think of your 'science' two thousand years from now?" Mr. D continued. "Hmm? They will call it primitive mumbo jumbo. That's what. Oh, I love mortals—they have absolutely no sense of perspective. They think they've come _so-o-o _far. And have they, Chiron? Look at this boy and tell me."

Okay, Mr. D is really getting on my nerves. I mean, yeah Percy is acting like an idiot, but the guy doesn't have to be this rude. The way he called Percy mortal, made me think he wasn't. Maybe he's a…nah. I couldn't be too sure. I can see why Harper and Grover are just being quiet and not speaking up.

"Percy," Chiron said, "you may choose to believe or not, but the fact is that _immortal_ means immortal. Can you imagine that for a moment, never dying? Never fading? Existing, just as you are, for all time?"

I could see Percy was about to answer, right off the top of his head, but by the tone of Chiron's voice, he hesitated.

"You mean, whether people believed in you or not," Percy said.

"Exactly," Chiron agreed. "If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, an old story to explain lighting? What if I told you, Perseus Jackson, that someday people will call _you_ a myth, just created to explain how little boys can get over losing their mothers?"

I tried not to snap at Chiron and tell him that I lost my mom too. That I lost her all because Harper told me I might be half Siren and half god and evil Sirens wanted me to join them. But, I kept my mouth shut, and kept my anger inside and let it show through my eyes.

Percy said, "I wouldn't like it. But I don't believe in gods."

"Oh, you'd better," Mr. D murmured. "Before one of them incinerates you."

Grover said, "P-please, sir. He's just lost his mother. He's in shock."

"A lucky thing, too," Mr. D grumbled, playing with a card. "Bad enough I'm confined to this miserable job, working with boys who don't believe!"

"Then why don't you just leave," I muttered, inaudibly.

Thank Athena Mr. D didn't hear me. He waved his hand and a goblet appeared on the table, as if the sunlight had bent, momentarily, and woven the air into glass. The goblet filled itself with red wine.

Percy's jaw dropped, making me giggle. Chiron hardly looked up.

"Mr. D," he warned, "your restrictions."

Mr. D looked at the wine and feigned surprise.

"Dear me." He looked at the sky and yelled, "Old habits! Sorry!"

More thunder.

Mr. D waved his hand again, and the wineglass changed into a fresh can of Diet Coke. He sighed unhappily, popped the top of the soda, and went back to his card game.

Chiron winked at me and Percy. "Mr. D offended his father a while back, took a fancy to a wood nymph who had been declared off-limits."

"A wood nymph," Percy repeated, still staring at the Diet Coke can like it was from outer space.

"Yes," Mr. D confessed. "Father loves to punish me. The first time, Prohibition. Ghastly! Absolutely horrid ten years. The second time—well, she really was pretty, and I couldn't stay away—the second time, he sent me here. Half-Blood Hill. Summer camp for brats like you. 'Be a better influence, he told me. 'Work with youths rather than tearing them down. Ha! Absolutely unfair."

Mr. D sounded about six years old, like a pouting little kid. Jeez, I feel sorry his dad has to deal with this.

"And…" Percy stammered, "your father is…"

Oh boy, how dense is he? Mr. D's father is obvious!

"_Di immortals_, Chiron," Mr. D said. "I thought you taught this boy the basics. My father is Zeus, of course."

Father is Zeus, the skin of a tiger, wine, satyrs that work here, Grover acting as if Mr. D was his master; it sums it all up that Mr. D is—

"You're Dionysus," Percy said. "The god of wine."

"No derp, Sherlock," I muttered, inaudibly again. I would have said "No shit, Sherlock," but maybe this time Mr. D or Chiron would have heard me.

Mr. D rolled his eyes. "What do they say, these days, Grover? Do the children say, 'Well, duh!'?"

"Y-yes, Mr. D."

Harper nodded in agreement.

"Then, well, duh! Percy Jackson. Did you think I was Aphrodite, perhaps?"

"You're a god."

"Yes, child."

"A god. You."

Mr. D looked at Percy straight on. I could tell Percy was seeing something bad in Mr. D's eyes, something that I wouldn't want to know. I so wanted to leave right now, but I felt like asking something to someone. Someone who knows the answers to my questions…

"Would you like to test me, child?" Mr. D said, quietly.

"No. No sir."

Good answer, Percy. Mr. D turned back to his card game. "I believe I win."

"Not quite, Mr. D," Chiron said. He set down a straight, tallied up his points, and said, "The game goes to me."

I thought Mr. D was going to vaporize Chiron right out of his wheelchair, but he sighed through his nose, as if he were used to being beat by him. He got up, and Grover rose, too.

"I'm tired," Mr. D said. "I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight. But first, Grover, we need to talk, _again_, about your less-than-perfect performance on this assignment."

Grover's face beaded with sweat. "Y-yes sir."

Mr. D turned to me and Percy. "Cabin eleven, Percy Jackson and Melody Summers. And mind your manners. And you"—He looked at me, making me freeze up—"you better not get on my bad side, young lady."

I nodded. Mr. D swept into the farmhouse, Grover following miserably.

"Will Grover be okay?" Percy asked Chiron.

Chiron nodded, though he looked troubled. "Old Dionysus isn't really mad. He just hates his job. He's been…ah, grounded, I guess you would say, and he can't stand waiting another century before he's allowed to go back to Olympus."

"Mount Olympus," Percy said. "You're telling me there really is a palace there?"

I was going to yell "Did we not just establish that the gods are real?! If the gods are real, so is Mount Olympus!" But, I held my tongue, just so I wouldn't get in trouble. Besides, Harper's still here and she might smack me in the back of my head if I do yell that.

"Well, now, there's Mount Olympus in Greece. And then there's the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed used to be on Mount Olympus. It's still called Mount Olympus, out of respect to the old ways, but the palace moves, Percy, just as the gods do."

"You mean the Greek gods are here? Like…in _America_?"

Wow, that I didn't expect. Then again, it almost makes sense, what with Dionysus being here and the Sirens being here.

"Well, certainly. The gods move with the heart of the West."

"The what?" Percy and I asked in unison.

"Come now, Percy, Melody. What you call 'Western civilization.' Do you think it's just an abstract concept? No, it's a living force. A collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years. The gods are part of it. You might even say they are the source of it, or at least, they are tied so tightly to it that they couldn't possibly fade, not unless all of Western civilization were obliterated. The fire started in Greece. Then, as you may know—or as I hope you know, since you, Percy, passed my course and you, Melody, was the top student in your Latin class at Devon Academy—the heart of the fire moved to Rome, and so did the gods. Oh, different names, perhaps—Jupiter for Zeus, Venus for Aphrodite, and so on—but the same forces, the same gods."

"And then they died."

I elbowed Percy once again and said, "No, you idiot! They didn't die, they just moved on!"

"Correct, Melody. The gods simply moved, to Germany, to France, to Spain, for a while. Wherever the flame was brightest, the gods were there. They spent several centuries in England. All you need to do is look at the architecture. People do not forget the gods. Every place they've ruled, for the last three thousand years, you can see them in paintings, in statues, on the most important buildings. And yes, Percy, of course they are now in your United States. Look at your symbol, the eagle of Zeus. Look at the statue of Prometheus in Rockefeller Center, the Greek facades of your government buildings in Washington. I defy you to find any American city where the Olympians are not prominently displayed in multiple places. Like it or not—and believe me, plenty of people weren't very fond of Rome, either—America is now the heart of the flame. It is the great power of the West. And so Olympus is here. And we are here."

Whoa, my mind is officially blown. I mean, all this is too much for a twelve year old like me to comprehend. And yet, I understand and believe everything Chiron had told me. But, Percy didn't look convinced.

"Who are you, Chiron? Who…who am I?"

I too, wondered who I was. What I am in this crazy world. What those Sirens thought I was. They said I was a Siren, but Harper said I was also part god. So, _what _am I?

Chiron smiled. He shifted his weight as if he was going to get out of his wheelchair, but I knew that was impossible. The only reason if you were in a wheelchair was that you were paralyzed from the waist down.

"Who are you?" he mused. "Well, that's the question we all want answered, isn't it? But for now, we should get you two a bunk in cabin eleven. There will be new friends to meet. And plenty of time for lessons tomorrow. Besides, there will be s'mores at the campfire tonight, and I simply adore chocolate."

And then he did rise from his wheelchair. But there was something odd about the way he did it. His blanket fell away from his legs, but the legs didn't move. His waist kept getting longer, rising above his belt. At first, I thought he was wearing very long, white velvet underwear, but as he kept rising out of his chair, taller than any man, I realized that the velvet underwear wasn't underwear; it was the front of an animal, muscles and sinew under coarse white fur. And his wheelchair wasn't a chair. It was some kind of container, an enormous box on wheels, and it must've been magic, because there's no way it could've held all of him. A leg came out, long and knobby-kneed, with a huge polished hoof. Then another front leg, then hindquarters, and then the box was empty, nothing but a metal shell with a couple of fake human legs attached.

I looked at Harper and Percy to see if they were seeing it too, and they were. Percy kept staring at the horse that just appeared in front of us, and Harper was standing there, as if it was normal, holding my backpack and duffel bag. Wait, how did she get that? My mind must have not seen her leave and get my stuff. Weird.

"What a relief," the centaur said. "I'd been cooped up in there so long, my fetlocks had fallen asleep. Now, come, Percy Jackson, Melody Summers. Let's meet the other campers."

….

**I feel really weird to copy off of the book. But, hey, it helps with the story right? This chapter is not my best, but guess it will do. Sorry if it's choppy or something. Got a little writer's block with this chapter.**

**But, hey, at least I got it done. So…yeah…. **

**Review, follow, and favorite please!**

**Sayonara!**


	6. Percy Becomes

**~Percy Becomes the Supreme Lord of the Bathroom~**

…

Once Percy got over the fact his Latin teacher was a centaur and Harper explained while Chiron was telling us about the gods that she went to get my stuff from the room I was in when I was unconscious, though I still gave Harper a skeptic face, gaining a sigh from her.

We passed the volleyball pit. Several of the campers nudged each other. One pointed to the horn that Percy was carrying. Another said, "That's _him_."

Most of the campers were older than me and Percy. Their satyr friends were bigger than Percy's friend, Grover, all of them trotting around in orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD t-shirts, with nothing else to cover their bare shaggy hindquarters. As my shyness default kicks in, I was so glad no one was mentioning me, the girl who, along with three other girls, defeated a Siren who followed us to Camp Half-Blood and was the girl Harper claims to be half Siren and half god. I just hope no one finds out what I am.

I looked back at the farmhouse. It was a lot bigger than I'd realized—four stories tall, sky-blue with white trim, like an upscale seaside resort. I was checking out the brass eagle weather vane on top when something caught my eye, a shadow in the uppermost window of the attic gable. Something had moved the curtain, just for a second, and I got chills up my spine.

"What's up there?" I heard Percy ask Chiron.

Chiron looked to where Percy was pointing, and his smile faded. "Just the attic."

"Somebody lives there?"

"No," he said with finality. "Not a single living thing."

I got the feeling he was saying half the truth. Something was up there, but maybe it wasn't alive. Maybe…

"Come along, Percy," Chiron said, his lighthearted tone now a little forced. "Lots to see."

…..

We walked through the strawberry fields, where campers were picking bushels of berries while a satyr played a tune on the reed pipe.

Chiron told us the camp grew nice crop for export to New York restaurants and Mount Olympus. "It pays our expenses," he explained. "And the strawberries take almost no effort."

He said Mr. D had this effect on fruit-bearing plants: they just went crazy when he was around. It worked best with wine grapes, but Mr. D was restricted from growing those, so they grew strawberries instead. Harper was staring hungrily at the strawberries. Harper had this weakness when it came to strawberries.

Me and Percy watched the satyr playing his pipe. His music was causing lines of bugs to leave the strawberry patch in every direction, like refugees fleeing a fire. I couldn't help but quietly sing along. As I quietly sang, a bird, a dark brown sparrow, came and started eating all the bugs. The satyr looked confused at first, but continuing playing while the sparrow ate the bugs. Weird…

"How did you do that?" Harper asked.

I shrugged, completely confused. I didn't make the sparrow come. All I did was quietly sung the melody the satyr was playing. I couldn't have summoned the bird…right?

"Chiron," I heard Percy say. "If the gods and Olympus and all that are real…"

"Yes, child?"

"Does that mean the Underworld is real, too?"

Chiron's face darkened. I felt this burning sensation in my chest, as if the mention of the Underworld filled my chest with hatred.

"Yes, child." He paused, as if choosing his words carefully. "There is a place where spirits go after death. But for now…until we know more…I would urge you to put that out of your mind."

I felt really uneasy about the Underworld subject. I held my amulet tightly, and looked over at Harper, who was holding my bags. She was looking around, as if she didn't want to be part of the conversation.

"What do you mean, 'until we know more'?"

"Come, Percy. Let's see the woods."

….

The forest was huge than I realized. It took up at least a quarter of the valley, with trees so tall and thick, you could imagine nobody had been here since the Native Americans.

I could hear Percy and Chiron's conversation, but I was too focused on my surrounding. I saw birds flying high up in the sky, and I could hear voices, but they sound as if they were coming from the birds themselves. I could've swore I heard a bird saying my name. Was I hallucinating? I must be.

We saw the archery range, the canoeing lake, the stables (which Chiron seemed to dislike them very much), the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheater, and the arena where Chiron said they held sword and spear fights.

"Sword and spear fight?" Percy asked.

"Cabin challenges and all that," he explained. "Not lethal. Usually. Oh, yes, there's the mess hall."

Chiron pointed to an outdoor pavilion framed in white Grecian columns on a hill looking over the sea. There were a dozen stone picnic tables. No roof. No walls.

"What do you do when it rains?" Percy asked.

Chiron looked at Percy as if he had just gone crazy. "We still have to eat, don't we?"

I looked at Harper, eyebrow raised.

"Weather doesn't affect the camp," she whispered to me. "The weather stays out, due to the barrier around camp."

I nodded, but I still didn't understand. What barrier is she talking about?

Finally, he showed us the cabins. There were twelve of them, nestled in the woods by the lake. They were arranged in a U, with two at the base and five in a row on either side. And they were no doubt the most bizarre collection of buildings I'd ever seen.

Except for the fact that each had a large brass number above the door (odds on the left, evens on the right), they looked nothing alike. Number nine had smokestacks, like a tiny factory. Number four had tomato vines on the walls and a roof made out of real grass. Seven seemed to be made of solid gold, which gleamed so much in the sunlight it was almost impossible to look at. They all faced a commons area about the size of a soccer field, dotted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds, and a couple of basketball hoops.

In the center of the field was a huge stone-lined firepit. Even though it was a warm afternoon, the hearth smoldered. A girl about nine years old was tending the flames, poking the coals with a stick.

The pair of cabins at the head of the field, numbers one and two, looked like his-and-hers mausoleums, big white marble boxes with heavy columns in the front. Cabin one was the biggest and bulkiest of the twelve. Its polished bronze doors shimmered like a hologram, so that from different angles lightning bolts seemed to streak across them. Cabin two was more graceful somehow, with slimmer columns garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls were carved with images of peacocks.

"Zeus and Hera?" Percy guessed.

"Correct," Chiron said.

"Their cabins look empty."

"Several of the cabins are. That's true. No one ever stays in one or two."

So, each cabin had a god or goddess representing them, like a mascot. Twelve cabins for twelve Olympians. Why would some be empty?

Percy stopped in front of the first cabin on the left, cabin three. I stopped next to him, gazing at the cabin.

It wasn't high and mighty like cabin one, but long and low and solid. The outer walls were of rough gray stone studded with pieces of seashell and coral, as if the slabs had been hewn straight from the bottom of the sea floor. Percy and I peeked inside the open doorway and Chiron said, "Oh, I wouldn't do that!"

Before he could pull us back, we caught the salty scent of the interior, like the wind on the shore of a beach my mom took me when we and Auntie Melissa went to Greece. The interior walls glowed like abalone. There were six empty bunk beds with silk sheets turned down. But there was no sign anyone had ever slept there. The place felt so lonely and sad…yet it felt like home. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Percy being pulled back by Chiron and Harper. Chiron and Harper called my name, Percy too, but I didn't listen as I went into the cabin.

I looked around, wanting to lay down on one of the beds and listen to some music in here. I felt something warm on my chest, so I looked down and saw my amulet was glowing a warm golden glow. I smiled, and was about to sit on a bunk bed when Harper grabbed my arm.

"Mel, your cabin is cabin…whoa…"

I looked at her, confused. "What?"

"Y-your eyes...they're suppose to be grey not...green..."

I tilted my head at her, but she shook her head and led me back outside with Chiron and Percy. Though, I liked this cabin very much, since it was like home and empty.

Most of the cabins were crowded with campers.

Number five was bright red—a real nasty paint job, as if the color had been splashed on with buckets and fists. The roof was lined with barbed wire. A stuffed wild boar's head hung over the doorway, its eyes seemed to follow me. I could hear arguing and rock music blaring. But, one person caught my eye. Sitting away from the cabin, was Melaina Forgoes. She was sitting on a log away from the cabin, her eyes on a knife she was sharpening. She looked up, and awkwardly waved at me and Harper. We waved back.

That cabin must have been the Ares cabin, since Melaina said she was the daughter of Ares. So, then Nicolette must be at the Apollo cabin, since she was the daughter of Apollo, and Vanessa was at the Athena cabin, since she was the daughter of Athena. I sighed, realizing out of the group Harper brought to Camp Half-Blood, I was the only one who didn't know who my godly parent was. Maybe cabin eleven was for the kids who didn't know who their godly parent was.

"Oh, look," I heard Chiron say. "Annabeth is waiting for us."

…

Annabeth was reading a book in front of the last cabin on the left, cabin. I got a good look at Annabeth.

Annabeth looked about my age, maybe a couple of inches taller than me and Percy, and a whole lot more athletic looking. With her deep tan and her curly blond hair, she was almost exactly the stereotypical California girl would look like, only her eyes ruined the image. They were startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty but intimidating. She and Vanessa looked almost alike, what with the startling grey eyes and the blond hair. Only, Vanessa had wavy blond hair, peachy skin, and wore black thick-framed glasses.

"Annabeth," said Harper.

"Harper," said Annabeth.

They looked at each other, with that stare that suggest that they were friends, just not as close. Harper gave me my bags and said she had to check on Nicolette, but I could tell she didn't want to be around Annabeth. Annabeth sent her a glare as Harper headed towards the Apollo cabin. Percy looked at me, as if he was asking me why Harper ran off. I gave him a shrugged, signaling that I had no clue.

"Annabeth," said Chiron, "I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Percy and Melody from here?"

"Yes, sir."

"Cabin eleven," Chiron told me and Percy, gesturing toward the doorway. "Make yourself at home."

Out of all the cabins, eleven looked most like a regular old summer cabin, emphasis on _old_. The threshold was worn down, the brown paint was peeling. Over the doorway was a caduceus, a winged pole with two snakes wrapped around it.

Inside, it was packed with people, both boys and girls, way more than the number of bunk beds. Sleeping bags were spread all over the floor. It looked like a gym where the Red Cross had set up an evacuation center.

Chiron didn't go in. The door was too low for him. But when the campers saw him they all stood and bowed respectfully.

"Well, then," Chiron said. "Good luck, Percy and Melody. I'll see you two at dinner."

He galloped away toward the archery range.

I stood behind Percy in the doorway, looking at the kids. They weren't bowing anymore. They were staring at us, making me feel shy and the no-talking default came back. That's what happens when you make me meet new people; I get shy and refuse to talk.

"Well?" Annabeth prompted. "Go on."

But, Percy tripped coming in the door and I fell on top of him. Yep, I'm such a master at making good first impressions! Not. There were some snickers from the campers but none of them said a word.

Annabeth announced, "Percy Jackson, Melody Summers, meet cabin eleven."

"Regular or undetermined?" somebody asked.

I didn't know what to say, but, luckily, Annabeth said, "Undetermined."

Everyone groaned. Wow, guess they don't like undetermined kids.

A boy who was a little older than the rest came forward. "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Percy and Melody. There's a spot on the floor, over there."

The guy was about nineteen, and he looked pretty cool. He was tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. He wore an orange tank top, cutoffs, sandals, and a leather necklace with five different-colored clay beads. The only thing unsettling about his appearance was a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw like an old knife slash.

"This is Luke," Annabeth said, and her voice sounded different somehow. Me and Percy glanced and could've sworn she was blushing. She saw us looking, and her expression hardened again. "He's your counselor for now."

"For now?" Percy and I asked.

"You're undetermined," Luke explained patiently. "They don't know what cabin to put you guys in. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."

I looked at the tiny section they have given to me and Percy. I had only my backpack and duffel bag to mark it as my own. But, I remembered Hermes was also the god of thieves, so I held on to my bags. I didn't want any kid messing with my stuff.

I looked around the campers' faces, some sullen and suspicious, some grinning stupidly, some eyeing me as if they were waiting for a chance to pick my pockets. If they tried to pick my pockets, then they would get a dagger to the face.

"How long will we be here?" Percy asked.

"Good question," Luke said. "Until you're determined."

"How long will that take?" I asked, clearly showing in my tone and eyes that I didn't want to stay in this cabin. I rather be at cabin three, it felt more like home there.

The campers all laughed.

"Come on," Annabeth told us. "I'll show you the volleyball court."

"But we've already seen it." Percy and I said.

"Come on."

She grabbed our wrists and dragged us outside. I could hear the kids of cabin eleven laughing behind us.

…

When we were a few feet away, Annabeth said, "Jackson, Summers, you have to do better than that."

"What?" Percy asked.

She rolled her eyes and mumbled something under her breath, "I can't believe I thought you were the one."

"What's your problem?" Percy asked, sounding a little angry. I slowly walked away, getting away from their conversation.

As they talked, I ran towards cabin three. Sitting in front of it, I rummaged through my duffel bag. I pulled a feather—shimmering muted blues and greens, with a golden tip—and placed it on my lap. Okay, guess you're wondering about the feather.

Well, when I was five, my mom would always have me as her little model. She would hand-make these dresses that always had feathers on them. So, one day I snuck into her room and took a few feathers, just so to see if they were fake or not. Turns out, they were real. I got this book about birds to find out what kind of bird made a shimmering feather with muted blues and greens with a golden tip. I never found out, but my mom said it was a very special feather and that one day I would find it too. Apparently, she must have made the feathers, since now I know she's a Siren.

"Hey," said a voice.

I looked up, and saw Vanessa, Nicolette, and Melaina. They were still in the clothes they wore when we arrived at camp and battled the blond Siren. I smiled.

"Hey guys," I said, shyly. "How do you like your cabins?"

"I love it!" Nicolette exclaimed. "The Apollo cabin is great! Some of them are really friendly and they love music and archery like I do."

"The Athena cabin is fine," said Vanessa, though she didn't say it very enthusiastically. "The only friend I have there is Annabeth, and she's nice…I guess."

I looked at Melaina. "How's the Ares cabin?"

"I hate it," said Melaina. "Some of them are jerks, especially Clarisse! I can't believe I have to live with them all summer!"

Melaina scowled and clenched her fists tightly until her knuckles were white. But, she sighed deeply and said, "How's the Hermes cabin?"

"Too crowded."

"That's the understatement of the century."

"I rather be at cabin three. It's a lot less crowded and feels more like home."

Vanessa gave me a look. "You know cabin three is for Poseidon's kids, right?"

"I know but…"

Then, I heard a husky voice yell, "Well! A newbie!"

Melaina growled and looked in the direction of Percy and Annabeth. "Clarisse," she hissed.

I looked over and saw a big girl from the Ares cabin. She looked about thirteen or fourteen. She wore a size XXXL CAMP HALF-BLOOD t-shirt under a camouflage jacket. Clarisse, as Melaina called her, had brown hair that was long and stringy.

I placed my bags down, put the feather behind my ear, and walked over to Percy and Annabeth, though Melaina and Vanessa said not to. I stood by Percy.

"Clarisse," Annabeth signed. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"

"Sure, Miss Princess," Clarisse said. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."

"_Erre es korakas!" _Annabeth said, which I somehow understood was Greek for 'Go to the crows!' though I had a feeling it was a worse curse than it sounded. "You don't stand a chance."

I nodded with Annabeth, though I had no clue what the heck they were talking about. From behind Clarisse, I saw Melaina, Vanessa, and Nicolette running towards us. Vanessa made this signal that might have meant 'Don't mess with her!' though I could be wrong.

"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse said, but her eye twitched. Perhaps she wasn't sure she could follow through on a threat. She turned toward me and Percy. "Who are the little runt and the little girl?"

"Percy Jackson, Melody Summers," Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, daughter of Ares."

Percy blinked. "Like…the war god?"

Clarisse sneered. "You got a problem with that?"

"No," he said, looking as if he was recovering his wits. "It explains the bad smell."

I punched him in the arm. "Shut it, Jackson!"

Clarisse growled. "We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Prissy."

"Percy."

"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you."

"Leave him alone, jerk!" I said, a little loudly. Nearby, a bird flew out of a tree.

"Oh? Wanna join too?"

I gulped. Maybe Vanessa did warn me not to mess with her.

"Clarisse—"Annabeth tried to say.

"Stay out of it, wise girl."

Annabeth looked pained, but she did stay out of it, and I really didn't want her to help. I got into this, and I'm going to try to get out of it, along with Percy.

I looked over at Melaina, Vanessa, and Nicolette, and nodded to them. They nodded back, and ran into the direction they must have thought Clarisse was going. Before I knew it, Clarisse had me and Percy by the neck was dragging us toward a cinder-block building which I knew was the bathroom.

I saw Percy kicking and punching. What's the use Perce? Clarisse got an iron grip. I know you should never mess with a girl with an iron grip. I have a cousin to prove how I know. She dragged us into the girls' bathroom. There was a line of toilets on one side and a line of showers down the other. It smelled like any other public bathroom. You think since this place belongs to the gods that they would have classier johns.

Clarisse's friends were laughing. What I would give to shove my dagger in their faces. Ye gods, where's Melaina, Vanessa, and Nicolette when you need them?

Clarisse threw me to one of the showers, and I almost hit my head. I growled as I watched Clarisse.

"Like he's 'Big Three' material," Clarisse said as she pushed Percy towards the toilet. "Yeah, right. The Minotaur probably fell over laughing, he was so stupid looking."

Her friends snickered.

Annabeth stood in the corner, watching through her fingers. I saw Melaina, Vanessa, and Nicolette by the doorway.

"Leave him alone!" I said again, this time a little angrier.

"Stay out of this, Melanie," Clarisse sneered.

"It's Melody!"

Clarisse just snickered as she went back to Percy. She bent over Percy on his knees and started pushing his head towards the toilet bowl. I won't let her boss Percy around. I won't.

Then, something happened. I heard the plumbing rumble, the pipes shudder. I saw Clarisse's grip on Percy's hair loosened. Water shot out of the toilet, making an arc straight over his head, and the next thing I knew, Percy was sprawled on the bathroom tiles with Clarisse screaming behind him.

He turned just as water blasted out of the toilet again, hitting Clarisse straight in the face so hard it pushed her down onto her butt. The water stayed on her like the spray from a fire hose, pushing her backward into the shower stall next to mine.

She struggled, gasping, and her friends started coming toward her. But then the other toilets exploded, too, and six more streams of toilet water blasted them back. The showers acted up, too, and together all the fixtures sprayed the camouflage girls right out of the bathroom, spinning them around like pieces of garbage being washed away. Vanessa, Melaina, and Nicolette dodged them, luckily, and looked at Percy with wide eyes.

As soon as they were out the door, the water shut off as quickly as it had started.

The entire bathroom was flooded. Annabeth hadn't been spared. She was dripping wet, but she hadn't been pushed out the door. She was standing in the exact same spot, staring at Percy in shock.

I looked at Percy, and gasped. He was sitting the only dry spot in the room. There was a circle of dry floor around him. He didn't have one drop of water on him. Nothing.

He stood up, his legs shaky.

Annabeth said, "How did you…"

"I don't know."

Percy looked over to me, and quickly ran over to me. "Hey, you okay?"

I nodded, and got up. I was dry too, for some reason. Not a single drop of water was on me, as if I was never caught in the crossfire. Percy looked at me.

"How come you're not wet?"

"I-I….I don't know." But, I playfully punched him in the arm. "But that was the coolest thing I ever saw, Jackson."

Percy rubbed his arm. "You just love to hit me, don't you?"

I smiled. "Yep, hitting people is my specialty."

We laughed and walked out of the bathroom. Outside, Clarisse and her friends were sprawled in the mud, and a bunch of campers came to gawk. Melaina, Vanessa, and Nicolette were laughing and snickering (the snickering came from Vanessa) at them. Clarisse's hair was flattened across her face. Her camouflage jacket was sopping and she smelled like sewage. She gave Percy a look of absolute hatred. "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead."

Percy was about to say something, but I quickly cut in. "Why don't you take your muddy butt back to your cabin before you get a dagger up your nose, Clarisse? Just go back to your cabin like a good little girl."

Surprisingly, Clarisse nodded and got up. She walked back to her cabin, with her friends following behind her, totally confused. Some of the campers, including my friends, looked at me. Some were wondering how I got Clarisse to listen to her, others gave me a look of respect. Guess no one at camp got the courage to speak up to her.

Percy stared at me. "How did you make Clarisse listen to you?"

I shrugged. "I have no idea, Jackson."

Annabeth stared at us, thinking deeply about something. She was either thinking about how mad she was at Percy for dousing her with toilet water or thinking about how I was able to make Clarisse.

"What?" Percy demanded.

"What are you thinking?" I demanded, too.

"I'm thinking," she said, "that I want you two on my team for capture the flag."

….

**And that's another chapter done! And, I had no writer's block so I know this chapter was good. Hopefully…**

**Review, follow, and favorite please!**

**Sayonara my friends!**


	7. My Dinner Goes Up In Smoke

**~My Dinner Goes Up In Smoke~**

….

Word of the bathroom incident spread immediately. Wherever we went, campers pointed at Percy and murmured something about toilet water or pointed at me and murmured about me telling Clarisse to leave and she listened. Or maybe they were just staring at Annabeth, who was still soaking wet from being doused with toilet water, kudos to Percy.

She showed us a few more places: the metal shop (where kids were forging their own swords), the arts-and-crafts room (where satyrs were sandblasting a giant marble statue of a goat-man), and the climbing wall, which actually consisted of two facing walls that shook violently, dropped boulders, sprayed lava, and clashed together if you didn't get to the top fast enough. As we walked, I saw Harper by cabin three, holding my backpack and duffel bag. She looked at the cabin as if she knew I belonged there. But, she quickly put my bags down, which I grabbed while Percy and Annabeth weren't looking, and she ran off.

Finally, we returned to the canoeing lake, where the trial led back to the cabins.

"I've got training to do," Annabeth said flatly. "Dinner's at seven-thirty. Just follow your cabin to the mess hall."

"Annabeth, I'm sorry about the toilets." Percy said.

"Whatever."

"It wasn't my fault."

She looked at Percy skeptically, and I thought hard. It was Percy's fault. He made the bathroom fixtures shoot water somehow. Like, the toilets responded to him, as if he had become one with the plumbing. Wow, that sounds so stupid.

"You need to talk to the Oracle," Annabeth said.

"Who?"

"Not who. What. The Oracle. I'll ask Chiron."

Percy stared into the lake, as if he was wishing or thinking about something. I stared at the lake too, making my stomach churn. Water, the one thing that I loved most and made me felt at home. Like how cabin three, which apparently was Poseidon's cabin, made me feel at home and…safe.

At the base of the pier, about twenty feet below, I saw two teenage girls sitting cross-legged. They wore blue jeans and shimmering green t-shirts, and their brown hair floated loose around their shoulders as minnows darted in and out. They smiled and waved as if I was a long-lost friend.

I awkwardly waved back at them. I saw Percy wave back at them, too.

"Don't encourage them," Annabeth warned. "Naiads are terrible flirts."

"Naiads," said Percy, who I could tell was feeling overwhelmed. "That's it. I want to go home now."

I was going to punch him in the arm, but I didn't. I kept looking at the lake, my eyes wandering. I softly sang a melody my mom taught me when I was four. The Naiads looked at me, and then they smiled warmly. Over the lake, a flock of birds sang back the melody. To me, the water looked absolutely calm and shimmered. Maybe…I wonder how much Siren was in me…

I was about to walk away when I heard Percy and Annabeth's conversation more clearly.

"God," Percy said. "Half-god."

Annabeth nodded. "Your father isn't dead, Percy. He's one of the Olympians."

"That's…crazy."

"Is it? What's the most common thing gods did in the old stories? They ran around falling in love with humans and having kids with them. Do you think they've changed their habits in the last few millennia?"

"What if they didn't fell in love with humans?" I whispered inaudibly to no one. "What if they fell in love with…?"

Thank the gods they didn't hear me. If they did, I would be explaining to Percy and Annabeth that I was half Siren and half god. And even I didn't fully understand it.

"But those are just—" I knew Percy was going to say myths again. But, luckily, he remembered what Chiron said, he might be considered a myth. "But if all the kids here are half-god—"

"Demigods," Annabeth said. "That's the official term. Or half-bloods."

"Then who's your dad?"

Her hands tightened around the pier railing. I got the feeling Percy just trespassed on a very sensitive subject.

"My dad is a professor at West Point," she said. "I haven't seen him since I was very small. He teaches American history."

"He's human."

"What? You assume it has to be a male god who finds a human female attractive? How sexist is that?"

"Who's your mom, then?"

"Cabin six."

"Meaning?"

Annabeth straightened. "Athena. Goddess of wisdom and battle."

"And my dad?"

"Undetermined," Annabeth said, "like I told you before. Nobody knows."

"Except my mother. She knew."

"Maybe not, Percy. Gods don't always reveal their identities."

"My dad would have. He loved her."

That's where my heart tightened. Maybe my dad didn't tell my mom. Maybe he knew she was a Siren and knew if they were together, they would have a child that was…well like me. The only thing I knew about my mom and dad's relationship was the amulet my mom gave me. The stupid amulet with the stupid trident on it. Maybe my dad didn't care; maybe my dad didn't love my mom.

I gripped my amulet tightly, trying to hide my emotions.

Annabeth gave Percy a cautious look. She didn't want to burst Percy's bubble. "Maybe you're right. Maybe he'll send a sign. That's the only way to know for sure: your father has to send you a sign claiming you as his son. Sometimes it happens."

"You mean it sometimes doesn't?"

Annabeth ran her palm along the rail. "The gods are busy. They have a lot of kids and they don't always…Well, sometimes they don't care about us, Percy. They ignore us."

That's when my heart officially tightened and hardened. I thought about the kids from the Hermes cabins, the ones who looked sullen and depressed. They were waiting for their godly mom or dad to claim them. At Devon, I knew some kids were always ignored by their rich mommies and daddies. The gods should fucking act better. Here I am, Melody Summers, stuck at camp because I'm a Siren with godly blood and my father hasn't fucking claimed me yet. If you cared about my mom, why don't you care about me, dad? Huh?! Why can't you claim me and heck, tell Percy's dad to claim him! If you really cared, you would claim us.

"So I'm stuck here," Percy said. "That's it? For the rest of my life?"

I didn't really want to be part of this conversation, so I silently walked away, and ran towards cabin eleven.

….

Back at cabin eleven, everyone was talking and horsing around, waiting for dinner. I didn't pay much attention to them, and they didn't pay attention to me as I walked in. I sat in the spot Percy and I was given. I placed my bags in front of me, and started playing with my amulet. None of the campers went near me, or tried to steal my stuff. Maybe they heard me threaten Clarisse about putting my dagger up her nose.

I sat in the spot for awhile, playing with my amulet. Percy came in, and sat next to me.

"I never noticed your amulet before," he said.

I shrugged. "I usually hide it from people."

"Who gave it to you?"

"My mom, Marina Summers. She gave it to me on my fifth birthday."

I kept my eyes on the amulet, looking closely at the trident. Percy leaned close to me, getting a good look at the amulet. I glared at him. "You're in my bubble, you know?"

"I just want to have a better look at your amulet."

I shove it at his face. "Better now?"

He laughed. "Okay, now you're in my personal space."

I laughed. Then, the counselor, Luke, came over.

"Found you a sleeping bag," he said. "And here, I stole you some toiletries from the camp store."

I couldn't tell if he was serious about the stealing part.

I gave Luke a nod.

"Thanks," Percy said.

"No prob." Luke sat next to Percy, pushed his back against the wall. "Tough first day?"

"I don't belong here," Percy said. "I don't even believe in gods."

I silently agreed with Percy, about the not belonging part, not the believing in gods part.

"Yeah," he said. "That's how we all started. Once you start believing in them? It doesn't get any easier."

The bitterness in his voice surprised me, because Luke seemed like a pretty easygoing guy. He looked like he could handle just about anything.

"So your dad is Hermes?" Percy asked.

He pulled out a switchblade from his back pocket, and for a second I thought he was going to gut Percy (so I had my hand in my pocket so I could take out my dagger), but he just scraped the mud off the sole of his sandal. "Yeah. Hermes."

"The wing-footed messenger guy."

"That's him. Messengers. Medicine. Travelers, merchants, thieves. Anybody who uses roads. That's why you two are here, enjoying cabin eleven's hospitality. Hermes isn't picking about who he sponsors."

I'm pretty sure he didn't mean to call me and Percy nobodies. He just had a lot on his mind.

"You ever meet your dad?" Percy asked.

"Once."

I brought my gaze back to my amulet. I'll probably never meet my godly parent. Luke's probably lucky he got to meet his dad. I bet none of the determined kids got to meet their godly parents.

Luke looked up and managed a smile. "Don't worry about it, Percy. The campers are here, they're mostly good people. After all, we're an extended family, right? We take care of each other."

I don't know why, but I feel like I shouldn't trust Luke. I mean, yeah he's nice and stole some toiletries for me and Percy and he understood what we're going through. And yeah an older cool guy like him should have steered clear of un-cool middle school kids like me and Percy, but he didn't. So, why does part of me say not to trust the guy?

I heard Percy ask Luke something that must have been bothering him all afternoon. "Clarisse, from Ares, was joking about me not being 'Big Three' material. Then Annabeth…twice, she said I might be 'the one.' She said I should talk to the Oracle. What was that all about?"

Luke folded his knife. "I hate prophecies."

"What do you mean?"

His face twitched around the scar. "Let's just say I messed things up for everyone else. The last two years, ever since my trip to the Garden of the Hesperides went sour, Chiron hasn't allowed any more quests. Annabeth's been dying to get out into the world. She pestered Chiron so much he finally told her he already knew her fate. He'd had a prophecy from the Oracle. He wouldn't tell her the whole thing, but he said Annabeth wasn't destined to go on a quest yet. She had to wait until…somebody special came to the camp."

I raised an eyebrow. Somebody special? What does that mean?

"Somebody special?" I heard Percy ask.

"Don't worry about it, kid," Luke said. "Annabeth wants to think every new camper who comes through here is the omen she's been waiting for. Now, come on, it's dinnertime."

The moment he said it, a horn blew in the distance. Somehow, I knew it was a conch shell, though I hadn't had the slightest clue what a conch shell sounded like.

Luke yelled, "Eleven, fall in!"

The whole cabin, about twenty of us, filed into the commons yard. We lined up in order of seniority, so Percy and I were dead last. Well, technically I was dead last, since Percy went in front of me. Campers came from the other cabins, too, except for the three empty cabins at the end, and cabin eight, which looked normal in the daytime, but was now starting to glow silver as the sun went down.

We marched up the hill to the mess hall pavilion. Satyrs joined us from the meadow. Naiads emerged from the canoeing lake. A few other girls came out of the woods—and when I say out of the woods, I mean _straight _out of the woods. I saw one girl, about nine or ten years old, melt from the side of a maple tree and come skipping up the hill. Well…I have a feeling I'm going to see things stranger than that at camp.

In all, there were maybe a hundred campers, a few dozen satyrs, and a dozen assorted wood nymphs and naiads.

At the pavilion, torches blazed around the marble columns. A central fire burned in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. Each cabin had its own table, covered in white cloth trimmed in purple. Four of the tables were empty, but cabin eleven's was way overcrowded. I had to squeeze on to the edge of a bench with half my butt hanging off. But, Percy made sure I didn't fall off. He's a nice guy…really nice.

Harper was nowhere to be seen, which was kind of weird. Harper would never miss a meal, I mean not that she loves food, but she said she has to eat at least three meals a day to maintain good health. She said her mom taught her that. But, my harpy best friend was not here.

Annabeth and Vanessa sat at table six with a bunch of serious-looking athletic kids, all with their grey eyes and honey-blond hair.

Clarisse sat behind me and Percy at the Ares' table. She'd apparently gotten over being hosed down, because she was laughing and belching alongside her friends. Melaina was sitting miserably at that table, considering she might be the only Ares kid with manners and was…oh I don't know…_nice_.

Finally, Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, and everybody fell silent. He raised a glass. "To the gods!"

Everybody else raised their glasses. "To the gods!"

Wood nymphs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, fresh bread, and…ugh…barbeque. I hate meat for some odd reason. My glass, and Percy's, was empty, but Luke said, "Speak to it. Whatever you want—nonalcoholic, of course."

Percy said, "Cherry Coke."

I saw the glass fill with sparkling caramel liquid.

But then, Percy said, "_Blue _Cherry Coke."

The soda turned into a violent shade of cobalt.

He took a sip. I looked at my glass.

"Blue raspberry Fanta," I said.

The glass filled with sparkling blue liquid. I took a sip and smiled. Perfect.

I drank a toast to my mom.

She's not gone, I told myself. She was captured by some evil Sirens. I would get her back…eventually. I just don't know how. But, I swear, one day, I will save her. One day…

"Here you go, Percy," Luke said, handing Percy a platter of smoked brisket. All I had on my plate were juicy strawberries, sweet apples, fresh bread, and grapes. I didn't get any meat, because you know I hate meat for an odd reason.

Me and Percy were about to eat when we noticed everybody getting up, carrying their plates toward the fire in the center of the pavilion. I wonder why they're getting up, maybe for some dessert or something.

"Come on," Luke told us.

As I got closer, I saw everyone was taking a portion of their meal and dropping it into the fire, the ripest strawberry, the juiciest slice of beef, the warmest, most buttery roll.

I heard Luke murmur in Percy's ear, "Burnt offerings for the gods. They like the smell."

"You're kidding." Percy and I said together. Whoa, I just realized we do that a lot. I wonder if everyone else noticed that.

His look warned us not to take this lightly, but I couldn't help wondering why an immortal, all-powerful being would like the smell of burning food.

Luke approached the fire, bowed his head, and tossed in a cluster of fat red grapes. "Hermes."

Percy was next. I could tell he was wondering what god's name to say. Maybe he made a silent plea to his father to tell him who he was. He scraped a big slice of brisket into the flames.

I was next.

I looked at the flames, unsure.

Finally, in my head, I made a plea. _Whoever you are, tell me. For the sake of Athena, I want to know who you are, who I am, what I am. Please Father, I want to know who you are. You care about me and mom, don't you?_

I threw in the juiciest strawberries I had on my plate.

When I caught a whiff of the smoke, I didn't gag.

It smelled nothing like burning food. It smelled like hot chocolate and sweet vanilla, of cherry blossoms and wildflowers, and a hundred other good smelling things that I can't name. I could almost believe why the gods liked smelling burnt food.

When everyone had returned to their seats and finished their meals, Chiron pounded his hoof again for our attention.

Mr. D got up with a huge sigh. "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five holds the laurels."

A bunch of ugly cheering (minus Melaina who was being the only quiet one at that table) rose from the Ares cabin.

"Personally," Mr. D continued, "I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should also tell you that we have two new campers today. Peter Johnson and Melanie Summers."

I held back a yell. Why does everyone say Melanie instead of Melody? Why!?

Chiron murmured something.

"Err, Percy Jackson and Melody Summers," Mr. D corrected. "That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on."

Everybody cheered. Everybody headed down to the amphitheater, where Apollo's cabin led a sing-along. But, I head towards the lake. Sure, I do love a good sing-along, but I rather sing by myself instead in front of other people.

I sat near the canoeing lake, the moon shimmering on the water's surface. I saw some naiads, so I waved to them. They waved back. In the darkness, with some background noise from the sing-along and campers' conversations, I closed my eyes. Then, I sang.

_Skies are crying, I am watching_

_Catching tear drops in my hands_

_Only silence as it's ending_

_Like we never had a chance_

_Do you have to make me feel like_

_There's nothing left of me?_

_You can take everything I have_

_You can break everything I am_

_Like I'm made of glass_

_Like I'm made of paper_

_Go on and try to tear me down_

_I will be rising from the ground_

_ Like a skyscraper _

_Like a skyscraper_

_As the smoke clears, I awaken_

_And untangle you from me_

_Would it make you feel better_

_To watch me while I bleed?_

_All my windows still are broken_

_But I'm standing on my feet_

_You can take everything I have_

_You can break everything I am_

_Like I'm made of glass_

_Like I'm made of paper_

_Go on and try to tear me down_

_I will be rising from the ground_

_Like a skyscraper_

_Like a skyscraper_

_Go run, run, run_

_I'm gonna stay right here,_

_Watch you disappear_

_Yeah, oh_

_Go run, run, run_

_Yeah, it's a long way down_

_But I am closer to the clouds up here_

_You can take everything I have_

_You can break everything I am_

_Like I'm made of glass_

_Like I'm made of paper_

_Oh Oh_

_Go on and try to tear me down_

_I will be rising from the ground_

_Like a skyscraper_

_Like a skyscraper_

_(Like a skyscraper)_

_Like a skyscraper_

_Like a skyscraper_

I took a deep breath. I sighed as I stared out into the lake. The last time I sang that song was back at Devon Academy, when I was listening to this song while doing homework. Harper was the only person who knew how well I could sing. The only one, besides my mom, who knew how my singing voice sounded: Pure, haunting, and mesmerizing.

I saw some of the naiads looking at me, pointing at me and whispering to one another. I could hear one of them saying, "Singing just like a Siren." I ignored them, but worried. What if they tell somebody I'm a Siren? I pushed that aside, since it was getting late.

I snuck back to cabin eleven. No one was there. I got ready for bed, and went to the spot where Luke gave to me and Percy.

Sitting on the floor, drawing in a sketchbook that was in my backpack, I sat there in my pajamas. My pajamas were an ocean-blue tank top, sea-green pajama capris, and sea foam-green robe. Later in the evening, the conch shell horn blew again, and I could tell people we coming back to the cabins. The campers from cabin eleven came in, some seeing me and wondering how I got here before them. Everyone headed off to bed. Percy collapsed onto his borrowed sleeping bag, making me giggled.

I watched him, for some strange reason. His fingers curled around the horn he had—which apparently I heard was the Minotaur horn. Once he closed his eyes, he fell asleep instantly. I, on the other hand, had trouble sleeping.

As I lied down, using my bags as pillows (which turned out to be strangely comfortable), I stared up at the ceiling. This was my first day at Camp Half-Blood. I felt at home here, but something was nagging at me. Something was telling me to not get too comfy here. Something in my gut was telling me something bad was going to happen, but I didn't know what.

That night, I had a dream.

I was standing in the middle of the ocean, nothing for miles. Then, I heard thundering rumbling and lightning lit up the darken sky above me. I was waist deep in water, just standing there. The water was calm, almost too calm.

_"The more you stay at this camp, the less time you have until we find you."_

I looked around, my heart racing. I started running, which was odd. I was moving faster in the water than I did on land. I kept running.

_"You're endangering all your friends, and your sibling. It is going to be your fault if he dies, Melody."_

Up ahead, I saw a silhouette of a boy about my age. I shouted, but my voice never came out. But, he turned around and started running towards me.

_"Oh look, it seems your brother is in the dreamscape with us, little Melody. I saw it coming, though, because you both have an empathy link with each other."_

I heard the boy yell at the sky. Was he hearing the voice too? I kept running towards him, trying to yell out.

_"You will never escape this, Melody. We will find you, just not now. You and the boy have a lightning thief to catch. But, let's make this dream more…exciting."_

Suddenly, I was pulled down. I started screaming, and the boy came towards me. He grabbed my hand, but he was pulled down as well. We were being pulled down, and both of us were trying to scream out. Then, that's when I saw the boy. Sea-green eyes and dark hair. Could it be…?

"PERCY!"

…

I woke up with a start, sitting pencil-straight. I was breathing heavily, my heart racing. My amulet was glowing like crazy. I brought my knees close to my chest, and started crying.

"Melody?" asked a voice.

I didn't respond, but I was muttering Greek curses. I felt something warm holding my shoulders. I looked up, and was met with sea-green eyes.

"Percy?" I asked. "Oh god, Percy!"

I pulled Percy in for a hug. I was softly sobbing, my forehead resting on his shoulder. Percy softly rubbed my back.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Mel, why were you crying?"

I looked up at him, trying to hide my tears.

"Percy…I…I had a nightmare."

Percy looked at me, trying form words that would comfort me. When he was about to speak, I stopped him and said, "I…was standing in the middle of the ocean. Thunder boomed and lightning lit up the sky. There was this voice…and it kept saying I was endangering my friends. Then, I saw you…and you ran towards me. I saw you…yelling at the sky. And then…we…we were pulled down and started drowning. I didn't realize you were in the dream until I saw your eyes…"

Percy hugged me, softly whispering in my ear. He was telling me to stop worrying and that it was just a dream. But, I knew deep in my heart that it wasn't a dream. But something in that dream still unsettled me.

The voice said that Percy was my brother. That couldn't be…unless my godly parent was his godly parent….

But, that couldn't be. Could it?

…

**Yay! Another chapter up and finished! And, two chapters in one day! Yes!**

**The song in this chapter was "Skyscraper" by Demi Lovato. I don't own it, like how I don't own PJO, just my OCs.**

**Note: This whole book is going to be in Melody's POV, minus the first chapter which was in third person. And it will following along the plot of the book "The Lightning Thief" with a few differences because it's in Melody's POV, not Percy's POV.**

**So, you like how it's going so far? Can I at least get ten reviews before chapter ten?**

**Review, follow, and favorite please!**

**Sayonara!**


	8. We Capture a Flag

**~We Capture A Flag~**

….

The next few days, I settled into routine at camp. I still was shaken a bit up from the dream, but Percy and my friends helped me forgot about the dream. I started to get use to the satyrs, nymphs, and naiads. Not to mention seeing a centaur and have him as a teacher. I kept to myself, since after the dream I started having more, not to mention hearing the voice wherever I go.

Each morning I took Ancient Greek from Vanessa, which was really easy. Greek came easily to me, not to mention talking about the gods and goddesses, though talking about them in present tense was pretty weird. With the lessons, I got to get to know Vanessa better. We bonded as well, but I could never bring myself to tell her my visions. I mean, some of the visions mainly focus on things that will happen in the future. How was I supposed to tell my friends and Percy? They just wouldn't understand.

The rest of the day, I'd rotate through outdoor activities, looking for something I was good at. Nicolette tried to teach me archery, but I was pretty bad with the bow and arrow. I almost nailed Nicolette in the butt with an arrow, but she dodged. She said I would get better with practice, but I just wasn't sure.

Foot racing? No good either. The wood-nymph instructors left me in the dust. They told me not to worry about it. They had centuries of practice running away from lovesick gods. But, it still felt a bit humiliating to lose to a tree.

And wrestling? No, just no. I could throw a punch and kick, but at the mat, Melaina could beat me in three seconds flat. I was just…terrible.

"You'll get the hang of it," Melaina told me when we took a break. "Not everyone is good on their first try."

There were only four things I was good at: canoeing, swimming, drawing, and singing. I was faster than anyone at camp at swimming. The naiads were quite impressed. Canoeing on my first try went well. I had zero trouble at it. Drawing had always been my strong suit. I drew all twelve cabins and all the drawings were spot on. No mistakes, no differences, and no faults. The drawings were accurate, perfect, and life-like. And singing? Please, I sang so beautifully most of the campers were amazed. But, I knew I could sing well was because of my Siren side. And, between you and me, I swear I think I hypnotized some people with my singing.

I knew the senior campers and satyrs were watching me, trying to decide who my father was, but they weren't having an easy time with it. I wasn't as strong as an Ares kids, or as good at archery as the Apollo kids, though I did have the musical talent as the Apollo kids. I didn't have Hephaestus's skill with metalwork or—gods forbid—Dionysus's way with vine plants. The counselors were also having a hard time determining Percy's dad, too. That just made me actually believed the voice in my head. Maybe Percy and I shared a father, a father the counselors just couldn't figure it out.

Luke told us that maybe our dad was Hermes, a kind of jack-of-all-trades, master of none. But, I knew deep down that my father was someone more powerful than all the gods the counselors went through. A god that shouldn't have had a kid. That's when I started putting the pieces together. I was going to tell Percy my theory, and what the voice said. I just had to wait for the right time to tell him.

Despite that, I loved camp. I loved the fog over the beach, the smell of hot strawberries in the afternoon, and the nights I spent by the lake, conversing by myself, perfecting my theory about my dad and singing to no one in particular. Though, the naiads would always watch me sing and the birds would always sing along. So, I did have an audience to share my voice, my singing voice that revealed I was a Siren. I would eat dinner with cabin eleven; scrape part of my meal in the fire, making my silent plea to my father about asking him to claim me, and trying to feel what connection we had. One day, I had faint memories about him in visions. In the visions, I could feel the warmth of his smile, the kindness in his eyes, and I could feel him regretting something, something I wanted to help him with. I tried very hard not to think about my mom. But, when I thought about her, I prayed to the gods for her to be safe. Sometimes when I prayed for my mom's safety, I would cry. Luckily, I would pray when I would go the lake at night where only the birds and naiads could see me cry. I have to save her. I just have to…

I started to understand Luke's bitterness and how he seemed to resent his father, Hermes. I get that the gods were always busy with important jobs they hold. But, can't they spend just a few seconds to take a break and send their kids a sign that they claim them? I mean, I'm getting used to cabin eleven and the friends I made there, but I want to know who I am and why did my mom fell in love with him. If Mr. D can make a can of Diet Coke appear; why can't my father, whoever he is, send me a sign?

….

Thursday afternoon, three days after I arrived at Camp Half-blood, I had my first sword-fighting lesson. Everybody from cabin eleven gathered in a big circular arena, where Luke would be our instructor.

Though, I would much rather use my dagger. I mean, the blade is longer than any daggers' blades and I felt weird holding a sword. Even the dagger looked like it belonged to me. On the dagger's blade, were images of feathers on one side, and on the other side was an image of the trident, the same one on my amulet. But, nonetheless, I would at least try to use a sword.

We started with basic stabbing and slashing, using some straw-stuffed dummies in Greek armor. I guess I did okay. At least, I understood what to do and my reflexes were good.

The problem was; I couldn't find a blade that felt right in my hands. Either they were too heavy, or too light, or too long. I didn't ask for help, frankly because I was shy and felt like if I asked I would seem like a fragile girl who couldn't even hold a sword right. But, while no one was paying attention, I pulled out my pen and accidently clicked it twice. When you clicked it once, it would turn into the dagger, but apparently, when you clicked twice, it turned into a sword. It was just like my dagger, only bigger. Well, looks like I'm lucky today.

We moved on to dueling in pairs. Luke announced that he was going to be Percy partner, since it was going to be his first time.

"Good luck," one of the campers told Percy. "Luke's the best swordsman in the last three hundred years.

"Maybe he'll go easy on me," Percy said.

The camper snorted.

I didn't have a partner for some reason. So, I had to practice with the dummy…by myself. At least I knew what to practice. And, I had some anger to take out. Using my sword, I slashed and stabbed the dummy, anger boiling inside me. Why be angry? The voices in my head! This voice keeps coming and it won't go away. It's driving me crazy! As I tried to focus on the dummy, the voice kept talking to me.

_"You're going to run out of time. Face it, Melody; you know deep in your heart that it's going to be a matter of time before we get you. You can't hide forever. Just. Face. Facts."_

I was about to yell at the voice when Luke called break. I was soaked in sweat and anger was boiling inside of me. That voice…where have I heard it before?

Everybody swarmed the drinks cooler. Luke poured ice water on his head, which Percy did the same. I snickered, and started to drink my water. But, one of the campers accidently bumped into me and my water splashed into my face. I gotta admit; the water felt good.

"Okay, everybody circle up!" Luke ordered. "If Percy doesn't mind, I want to give you a little demo."

I could tell by the look on Percy's face he thought he was going to get pounded.

The Hermes guys gathered around. They were suppressing smiles. I'd figured they have been in Percy's shoes before and couldn't wait to see how Luke used him as a punching bag. He told everybody he was going to demonstrate a disarming technique: how to twist the enemy's blade with the flat of your own sword so that he had no choice but to drop his weapon.

"This is difficult," he stressed. "I've had it used against me. No laughing at Percy, now. Most swordsmen have to work years to master this technique."

He demonstrated the move on Percy in slow motion. Sure enough, the sword clattered out of his hand.

"Now in real time," he said, after Percy had retrieved his weapon. "We keep sparring until one of us pulls it off. Ready, Percy?"

Percy nodded, and Luke came after him. Somehow, he kept him from getting a shot at the hilt of his sword. Something in my gut told me Percy would be alright. Then, I saw him counter Luke's attacks. He stepped forward and tried a thrust of his own. Luke deflected it easily, but I saw the change in his face. His eyes narrowed, and he started to press Percy with more force.

I knew Percy was going to lose. It was only a matter of seconds until Luke took him down. But then, I saw it.

He tried the disarming maneuver.

His blade hit the base of Luke's and he twisted, putting his whole weight into a downward thrust.

_Clang._

Luke's sword rattled against the stones. The tip of Percy's blade was an inch from his undefended chest.

The other campers were silent.

"Ye gods," I whispered in awe.

Percy lowered his sword. "Um, sorry."

For a moment, Luke was too stunned to speak.

"Sorry?" His scarred face broke into a grin. "By the gods, Percy, why are you sorry? Show me that again!"

I could tell by the look on Percy's face he didn't want to. The sudden short burst of energy doesn't come back by will. But Luke insisted.

This time, there was no contest. The moment their swords connected, Luke hit Percy's hilt and sent his weapon skidding across the floor.

After a long pause, I accidently blurted out, "Beginner's luck?" It was more of a question than I thought.

Luke wiped the sweat off his brow. He appraised at Percy with an entirely new interest. "Maybe," he said. "But I wonder what Percy could do with a balanced sword…"

…..

Friday afternoon, I was sitting with Percy and Grover at the lake resting from a near-death experience on the climbing wall. Grover had scampered to the top like a mountain goat, I made it to the top thanks to my quick reflexes (and the fact the voice kept taunting me), but the lava almost got Percy. His shirt had smoking holes in it. The hairs had been singed off his forearms.

We sat on the pier, watching the naiads do underwater basket-weaving. Some waved at me and others complimented me on my singing, gaining looks of confusion from Percy and Grover. I didn't explain to them about my nighttime visits to the lake where I would sing and pray for my mom's safety.

We sat quietly until Percy asked Grover how his conversation with Mr. D went.

Grover's face turned a sickly shade of yellow.

"Fine," he said. "Just great."

"So your career's still on track?"

He glanced at Percy nervously. "Chiron t-told you I want a searcher's license?"

"Well…no." I could tell Percy had no idea what a searcher's license was, and that it wasn't a good time to ask right. "He just said you had big plans, you know…and that you needed credit for completing a keeper's assignment. So did you get it?"

Grover looked down at the naiads. "Mr. D suspended judgment. He said I hadn't failed or succeeded with you yet, so our fates were still tied together. If you got a quest and I went along to protect you, and we both came back alive, then maybe he'd consider the job complete."

"Well, that's not so bad, right?"

"_Blaa-ha-ha! _He might as well have transferred me to stable-cleaning duty. The chances of you getting a quest…and even if you did, why would you want _me_ along?"

"Of course I'd want you along!"

Grover stared glumly into the water. "Basket-weaving…Must be nice to have a useful skill."

Percy tried to reassure Grover he had lots of talents, and I reassured him too, but that only made Grover seem more miserable. We talked about canoeing and swordplay for a while (they were surprised that I was interested in swordplay since I was a girl), then debated the pros and cons of the different gods. Finally, Percy asked Grover about the four empty cabins.

"Number eight, the silver one, belongs to Artemis," he said. "She vowed to be a maiden forever. So of course, no kids. The cabin is, you know, honorary. If she didn't have one, she'd be mad."

"Yeah, okay. But the other three, the ones at the end. Are those the Big Three?"

Grover tensed. We were getting close to a touching subject. "No. One of them, number two, is Hera's," he said. "That's another honorary thing. She's the goddess of marriage, so of course she wouldn't go around having affairs with mortals. That's her husband's job. When we say the Big Three, we mean the three powerful brothers, the sons of Kronos."

"Zeus, Poseidon, Hades." Percy and I said, together. Oh boy, I get the feeling we're going to do that a lot.

"Right. You know. After the great battle with the Titans, they took over the world from their dad and drew lots to decide who got what."

"Zeus got the sky," I said. "Poseidon the sea, and Hades the Underworld."

"Uh-huh."

"But Hades doesn't have a cabin here." Percy said.

"No. He doesn't have a throne on Olympus, either. He sort of does his own thing down in the Underworld. If he did have a cabin here…" Grover shuddered. "Well, it wouldn't be pleasant. Let's leave it at that."

"But, what about Zeus and Poseidon?" I asked. "They had many kids in the myths. Why are their cabins empty?"

Grover shifted his hooves uncomfortably. "About sixty years ago, after World War II, the Big Three agreed they wouldn't sire any more heroes. Their children were just too powerful. They were affecting the course of human events too much, causing too much carnage. World War II, you know, that was basically a fight between the sons of Zeus and Poseidon on one side, and the sons of Hades on the other. The winning side, Zeus and Poseidon, made Hades swear an oath with them: no more affairs with mortal women. They swore on the River Styx."

Thunder boomed, making me feel lightheaded.

Percy said, "That's the most serious oath you can make."

Grover nodded.

"And the brothers kept their word—no kids?"

Grover's face darkened. "Seventeen years ago, Zeus fell off the wagon. There was this TV starlet with a big fluffy eighties hairdo—he just couldn't help himself. When their child was born, a little girl named Thalia…well, the River Styx is serious about promises. Zeus himself got off easy because he's immortal, but he brought a terrible fate on his daughter."

_"Aw yes, like how your father brought a terrible fate to you, and you just dragged your friends into. Oh Melody, you're just a little trouble bringer, aren't you?"_

_ "Shut up!" _I thought.

"But that isn't fair!" Percy said. "It wasn't the little girl's fault."

Grover hesitated. "Percy, children of the Big Three have powers greater than other half-bloods. They have a strong aura, a scent that attracts monsters. When Hades found out about the girl, he wasn't too happy about Zeus breaking his oath. Hades let the worst monsters out of Tartarus to torment Thalia. A satyr was assigned to be her keeper when she was twelve, but there was nothing he could do. He tried to escort her here with a couple of other half-bloods she'd befriended. They almost made it. They got all the way to the top of that hill."

He pointed across the valley, to the pine tree where I heard around camp Percy fought the Minotaur. "All three Kindly Ones were after them, along with a hoard of hellhounds. They were about to be overrun when Thalia told her satyr to take the other two half-bloods to safety while she held off the monsters. She was wounded and tired, and she didn't want to live like a hunted animal. The satyr didn't want to leave her, but he couldn't change her mind, and he had to protect the others. So Thalia made her final stand alone, at the top of that hill. As she died, Zeus took pity on her. He turned her into that pine tree. Her spirit still helps protect the borders of the valley. That's why the hill is called Half-Blood Hill."

I stared at the pine tree in the distance.

Thalia sacrificed herself to save the other two half-bloods. She died all because Zeus broke a promise and she had to suffer for it. That was just so stupid. She had to face a whole army of monster because her father broke a promise. Her father broke the promise, and she had to pay the price. The gods are so messed up!

_"No, what's 'messed up' is that you're the daughter of a Siren and a god. Oooh, I wonder what your father will say when he gets a good look at you. He might love your brother more than you."_

_ "Shut the fuck up!" _I said in my head.

"Grover," Percy said, "have heroes really gone on quests to the Underworld?"

"Sometimes," he said. "Orpheus. Hercules. Houdini."

"And have they ever returned somebody from the dead?"

"No. Never. Orpheus came close…Percy, you're not seriously thinking—"

"No," Percy lied. "I was just wondering. So…a satyr is always assigned to guard a demigod?"

Grover studied Percy warily. I could tell Percy hadn't dropped the Underworld idea. I mean, I could tell when he was lying. I could tell that Grover wasn't convinced that Percy dropped the idea. "Not always. We go undercover to a lot of schools. We try to sniff out the half-bloods who have the makings of great heroes. If we find one with a very strong aura, like a child of the Big Three, we alert Chiron. He tries to keep an eye on them, since they could cause really huge problems."

_"Is that so, young satyr? Then how come there were no satyrs at Devon Academy? There was only a harpy there and she had to protect little Melody who had the strongest aura I've ever sensed. Makes me wonder, are you a daughter of the Big Three, Melody Summers?"_

_ "Shut—wait what?"_

_ "I mean the promise states that the Big Three swore off mortal women. What if one of the Big Three thought falling in love with a _Siren _wouldn't affect the promise? Sirens aren't considered mortal. Though they can die, the only monsters that _do _have souls, they aren't really considered mortal. What if you're a daughter of Zeus or Hades or Poseidon? You have that strong aura and your power, are very strong."_

_ "No, I'm not. I might be a daughter of Hermes or some other god."_

_ "No, you're much more powerful. Aw yes, you _do _have that strong aura. You just might be a daughter of the Big Three."_

_ "No…"_

_ "Yes. Oh, why didn't I see this before?"_

_ "No…"_

_ "You're too special and extraordinary to be a daughter of a regular god."_

_ "No."_

_ "You can't deny it; you know deep in your heart that you are a daughter of the Big Three. Just, which one?"_

_ "No!"_

_ "Zeus perhaps? You do show signs of great power._

_ "NO."_

_ "Or, maybe you're a daughter of Hades? You just might be."_

_ "NO!"_

_ "Or maybe Poseidon—"_

"NOOOOO!" I screamed.

The birds in nearby trees flew out in surprise. The naiads swam away, obviously scared by my sudden outburst. Even the water looked afraid, it was creating waves and was moving about, matching my mood. Grover and Percy looked at me in surprised. I was breathing heavily, my face soaked in sweat.

"Mel, you okay?" Percy asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

_"Yes Melody, _are _you okay?"_

"Zandra…"

Grover's face paled. "Did you just say…Zandra?"

Thunder boomed, and I could hear crows and ravens crowing too.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Who's Zandra?"

"Xandra the Good Sister and Zandra the Wicked Sister," I said. "They're the Ancients, the two leaders of…oh god."

Grover looked at me. "Wait, hold on. Zandra was banished! At least…that's what I heard."

"No," I said. "She's been communicating with me ever since I arrived at camp. Oh god, that's why I recognized her voice!"

"Hold on, slow down," Grover said, obviously nervous. "You're telling me one of the most powerful Ancients is communicating with you, a half-blood."

"Guys!" exclaimed Percy. "Who the fuck are you guys talking about?!"

I ignored Percy. "Oh shit, Harper wasn't kidding when she said I was special."

"Should I tell Chiron?" asked Grover. "I mean, when it comes to the Ancients, you can't just keep this a secret."

"I think you should, right away."

Grover nodded, and ran off. Percy looked at me, obviously angry.

"Melody, what or who is the Ancients?"

I looked at him, my eyes filled with fear.

"The Ancients Sirens, the ones who are more powerful than regular Sirens. There are two sides to the Ancients. One is the Good Sirens, who help the gods and goddess in any way they can and they are very powerful. The other is the Wicked Sirens, the ones you find seducing men and then eating them. The ones you heard about in the myths. I would love to continue on with this, but it's almost dinnertime."

…

That night after dinner, there was a lot more excitement than usual. I was…more detached than usual. Considering Grover told Chiron about Zandra and that Percy has been trying relentlessly to get more information about the Ancients and why I was involved with them. But, between you and me, I had no idea how I knew about the Ancients. Maybe…maybe there's more to my Siren powers than I thought.

At last, it was time for capture the flag.

When the plates were cleared away, the conch horn sounded and we all stood at our tables.

Campers yelled and cheered as Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion carrying a silk banner. It was about ten feet long, glistening grey, with a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree. From the opposite side of the pavilion, Clarisse and her buddies ran in with another banner, of identical size, but gaudy red, painted with a bloody spear and a boar's head.

Percy turned to Luke and yelled over the noise, "Those are the flags?"

"Yeah."

"Ares and Athena always lead the teams?"

"Not always," he said. "But often."

"So, if another cabin captures one, what do you do—repaint the flag?"

He grinned. "You'll see. First we have to get one."

"Whose side are we on?"

He gave Percy a sly look, as if he knew something Percy didn't. The scar on his face made him look almost evil in the torchlight. "We've made a temporary alliance with Athena. Tonight, we get the flag from Ares. And _you_ are going to help."

The teams were announced. Athena had made an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins. Apparently, privileges had been traded—shower times, chore schedules, the best slots for activities—in order to win support.

Ares allied themselves with everybody else: Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus. From what I'd seen, Dionysus's kids were actually good athletes, but there were only two of them. Demeter's kids had the edge with nature skills and outdoor stuff, but they weren't very aggressive. Aphrodite's sons and daughters I wasn't too worried about. They mostly sat out every activity and checked their reflections in the lake and did their hair and gossiped. Hephaestus's kids weren't pretty, and there were only four of them, but they were big and burly from working in the metal shop all day. They might be a problem. That, of course, left the Ares's cabin: a dozen of the biggest, ugliest, meanest kids on Long Island, or anywhere else on the planet. Well, besides Melaina because, as I said before, she's the ONLY ONE who isn't mean or big (because she looked like the normal twelve year old, only tougher and stronger) and was quite (as I heard from the Aphrodite kids) prettier than any Ares kid there was at camp.

Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble.

"Heroes!" he announced. "You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!"

He spread his hands, and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, oxhide shields coated in metal.

"Whoa," I said. "This is so cool."

Vanessa and Nicolette smirked. I was so glad they were on my team, because I did not want to deal with them. Vanessa is intelligent and she can skewer me with a spear. Nicolette, though very up-beat and naïve, was a very focused and smart warrior.

"So, what are you going to use?" asked Nicolette. "Spear or sword?"

I quickly pulled out my pen and turned it into a sword. "Sword of course."

Vanessa looked at me, but then she said, "Though I would tell you using your own weapon would be bad, it seems that's the only sword that is perfectly balanced for you. And, here, a shield."

My shield was the size of an NBA backboard, with a big caduceus in the middle. It was heavy as fuck, and I knew for a fact I could definitely not run with this. My helmet, like all the helmets on Athena's side, had a blue horsehair plume on top. Ares and their allies had red plumes.

Annabeth yelled, "Blue team, forward!"

We cheered and shook our swords and followed her down the path to the south woods. The red team yelled taunts at us as they headed off toward the north.

I walked with Vanessa and Nicolette. "So, what am I suppose to do?"

Vanessa thought about it for a second and said, "Do border patrol, it's the easiest thing to do."

"What's border patrol?"

"You just stand by the creek and keep the reds away," said Nicolette. "Me and Vanessa—"

"Vanessa and I," Vanessa corrected.

"—Vanessa and I are going to either guard the banner or try to get Ares's banner."

They pushed ahead, leaving me in the dust.

"Great," I mumbled. "So glad I'm on this team…not."

It was a warm, sticky night. The woods were dark, with fireflies popping in and out of view. Vanessa stationed me next to a little creek that gurgled over some rocks, then she and Nicolette and the rest of the team scattered into the trees. At least, I was with Percy.

Standing there alone with Percy, with my big blue-feathered helmet and my huge shield, I felt like an idiot. My sword was perfectly balanced, considering I got it when I dealt with Ms. Nomed and it seemed that it was made for me. I just wonder who gave it to me. I gripped the handle tightly until my knuckles turned white.

There was no way anybody would actually attack me, would they? I mean, Olympus had to have liability issues, right?

Far away, the conch horn blew. I heard whoops and yells in the woods, the clanking of metal, kids fighting. A blue-plumed ally from Apollo raced past me and Percy like a deer, leaped through the creek, and disappeared into enemy territory.

Well, looks like I'm going to miss all the fun, as usual.

Then I heard a sound that sent a chill up my spine, a low canine growl, somewhere close by.

_"Oh look, I think someone found you and your brother, Melody. Hmm, sounds like a hellhound."_

"Shut up," I whispered.

Then the growling stopped. I felt the presence retreating.

On the other side of the creek, the underbrush exploded. Five Ares warriors came yelling and screaming out of the dark.

"Cream the punk!" Clarisse screamed.

Her ugly pig eyes glared through the slits of her helmet. She brandished a five-foot-long spear, its barbed metal tip flickering with red light. Her siblings had only the standard-issue bronze swords—not that that made me feel any better.

They charged across the stream. I know I couldn't help Percy. I mean, come on, its two undetermined kids against five Ares kids. The odds were hardly on our favor. But, at least we could try to defend ourselves. So, what the hell?

Percy managed to sidestep the first kid's swing, but these guys weren't idiots. They surrounded us, and Clarisse thrust at Percy with her spear. I went in front of Percy, and deflected the point of the spear with my shield. I felt a painful tingling all over my body. My hair stood on end. My shield arm went numb, and the air burned.

Electricity. Her stupid spear was fucking electric. I fell back.

"Melody!" I heard Percy shout.

Another Ares guy slammed me in the chest with the butt of his sword and I hit the dirt.

They could've kicked me into jelly, but they were too busy laughing.

"That's what you get for trying to save Prissy," Clarisse said. "Ha! Maybe you should have just minded your own business."

"Shut the fuck up," I said bitterly as I got to my feet. I felt my eyes stinging, but I could care less.

Percy looked really mad. He raised his sword, but Clarisse slammed it aside with her spear and sparks flew.

"Oh, wow," Clarisse said. "I'm scared of these guys. Really scared."

"The flag is that way," Percy told her. I knew Percy wanted to sound angry, but it didn't come out that way.

"Yeah," one of her siblings said. "But see, we don't care about the flag. We care about the two newbies that made our cabin look stupid."

"You do that without our help, shitheads," I hissed out. I know, it wasn't the smartest thing to say and I was asking for a death wish, but these guys are bastards.

One came at me and another came at Percy. We backed up toward the creek, and Percy tried to raise his shield, but Clarisse was too fast. Her spear struck Percy straight in the ribs. If he hadn't been wearing an armored breastplate, he would've been shish-ke-babbed. I could've guessed the electric point just about shocked his teeth out of his mouth. One of her cabinmates slashed his sword across Percy's arm then my arm, leaving a good-size cut.

Seeing my blood made me feel lightheaded, and seeing Percy's blood didn't help either.

"No maiming," Percy managed to say and I hissed out.

"Oops," the guy said. "Guess I lost my dessert privileges."

"That's not the only thing you're going to lose," I practically spat out.

He pushed us into the creek and we landed with a splash. They all laughed. I figured as soon as they were through being amused, we would die. But then something happened. The water seemed to wake up my senses, as if I'd just accidently drank one of my mom's double-espresso.

Clarisse and her cabinmates came into the creek to get us, but we stood meet them. We knew what to do. I swung the flat of my sword against the first guy's head and knocked his helmet clean off. I hit him so hard I could see his eyes vibrating as he crumpled into the water.

Ugly Number Two and Ugly Number Three came at Percy. He slammed one in the face with his shield and used his sword to shear off the other guy's plume. Ugly Number Four didn't look really anxious to attack, but Clarisse kept coming, the point of her spear crackling with energy. As soon as she thrust, Percy caught the shaft between the edge of his shield and his sword, and he snapped it like a twig.

"Ah!" she screamed. "You idiot! You corpse-breath worm!"

She probably would've said worst, but I scoffed and smacked her between the eyes with my sword-butt and sent her stumbling backward out of the creek.

Then I heard yelling, elated screams, and I saw Luke racing toward the boundary line with the red team's banner lifted high. He was flanked by a couple Hermes guys covering his retreat, and a few Apollos (one of them was Nicolette) behind them, fighting off the Hephaestus kids. The Ares folks got up, and Clarisse muttered a dazed curse.

"A trick!" she shouted. "It was a trick."

They staggered after Luke, but it was too late. Everybody converged on the creek as Luke ran across into friendly territory. Our side exploded into cheers. The red banner shimmered and turned to silver. The boar and spear were replaced with a huge caduceus, the symbol of cabin eleven. Everybody on the blue team picked up Luke and started carrying him around on their shoulders. Chiron cantered out from the woods and blew the conch horn.

The game was over. We'd won.

I gave Percy a big hug, making him blush in surprise. We were about to join the celebration when Annabeth's voice, right next to us in the creek, said, "Not bad, heroes."

We looked, but she wasn't there.

"Where the heck did you two learn to fight like that?" she asked. The air shimmered, and she materialized, holding Yankees baseball cap as if she'd just taken it off her head.

I could sense Percy was getting angry. "You set me up," he said. "You put me here because you knew Clarisse would come after me, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out."

Annabeth shrugged. "I told you. Athena always, always has a plan."

"A plan to get me pulverized."

"I came as fast as I could. I was about to jump in but…" She gestured towards me. "You had her to help you."

Then she noticed our wounded arms. "How did you do that?"

"Sword cut," Percy and I said in unison. "What do you think?"

"No. It _was _a sword cut. Look at it."

The blood was gone. Where the huge cut had been, there was a long white scratch, and even that was fading. As I watched, it turned into a small scar, and disappeared. It also happened to Percy's wound.

"I—I don't get it," Percy said.

Annabeth was thinking hard. I could almost see the gears turning. She looked down at our feet, then at Clarisse's broken spear, and said, "Step out of the water, Percy. You too, Melody."

"What—"

"Just do it."

We came out of the creek and immediately felt bone tired. My arms grew numb. My adrenaline rush left me. I gripped my head, and Percy almost fell over, but Annabeth steadied him.

"Oh, Styx," she cursed. "This is _not_ good. I didn't want…I assumed it would be Zeus…"

Before I could ask what she meant, I heard that canine growl again, but much closer than before. A howl ripped through the forest.

The camper's cheering died instantly. Chiron shouted something in Ancient Greek, which I would realized, only later, I had understood perfectly: _"Stand ready! My bow!"_

Annabeth drew her sword.

_"Oh Melody, here it comes!"_

I so wanted to yell at the voice, who I know now was Zandra. But, I was focused on other things.

There on the rocks just above us was a black hound the size of a rhino, with lava-red eyes and fangs sharper than daggers.

The hellhound was looking straight at me and Percy.

_"Look out Melody, it's after you and Perseus. Better protect him while you can."_

_ "Shut up," _I said in my head.

Nobody moved except Annabeth, who yelled, "Percy, Melody, run!"

She tried to step in front of us, but the hellhound was too fast. It leaped over her—an enormous shadow with sharp teeth—and just as it hit Percy, and he stumbled backward as the hellhound clawed at Percy's armor. Then, I did something that surprised everyone.

I yelled and fought back.

"GET OFF OF HIM!" I yelled.

The hellhound turned its attention to me, and growled. I leaped towards me, but I raised my sword. The blade of the sword connected to the hound's neck. The monster fell dead at my feet.

I panted heavily, my blade still pointed at the beast's dead body. Everyone looked at me, but I could care less. I looked over at Percy, relieved that he was still alive. Very banged up and might need a lot of medical attention, but he was still breathing and alive. My hands were trembling, and I felt nauseous.

_"Well, well, look at what you did. Protected him when you could have saved yourself. You're lucky you didn't get as injured as Perseus."_

_ "Shut the hell up," _I said in my head again.

Chiron trotted up next to us, a bow in his hand, his face grim.

_"Di immortales!" _Annabeth said. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't…they're not supposed to…"

"Someone summoned it," Chiron said. "Someone inside the camp."

Luke came over, the banner in his hand forgotten, his moment of glory gone.

Clarisse yelled, "It's all Percy's fault! Percy summoned it!"

"Shut it, Clarisse," I hissed at her, my eyes stinging again.

We watched the body of the hellhound melt into shadow, soaking into the ground until it disappeared.

"You're wounded," Annabeth told Percy. "Quick, Percy, get into the water."

"I'm okay."

"No, you're not," she said. "Chiron, watch this."

Percy stepped back into the creek, the whole camp gathering around him.

The cuts on his chest were closing up. Some of the campers gasped.

"Look, I—I don't know why," he said, trying to apologize. "I'm sorry."

But, they were watching Percy's wounds heal anymore. They were staring at something above Percy's head.

"Percy," Annabeth said, pointing. "Um…"

I looked up, the sign was already fading, but I could still make out the hologram of green light, spinning and gleaming. A three-tipped spear: a trident, like the one on my amulet.

"Your father," Annabeth murmured. "This is _really_ not good."

"It is determined," Chiron announced.

All around me and Percy, campers started kneeling, even the Ares cabin, though they didn't look happy about it.

"My father?" Percy asked, completely bewildered.

"Poseidon," said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."

_"It's not over yet."_

_ "What are you…?"_

Suddenly, my amulet started shaking violently. Everyone stopped kneeling, and started looking towards my amulet. Everyone stared at me, completely confused. I didn't know what was going on, but I knew right now I was about to be determined.

Suddenly, my amulet gave off sea-green and ocean-blue glows. Then a golden glow shined and the gold trident on my amulet started glowing. Then, the same hologram of green light appeared above my head. But, not only a trident appeared, but a lyre and a feather appeared next to it. Campers started gasping and others looked at the hologram with confusion. Chiron looked at me, his face also showed confusion.

"Another child of Poseidon," he said. "But, a lyre and a feather? That could only mean…"

_"They know now what you are, Melody Summers! Time for you to face the truth!"_

"What?" I asked Chiron. "What could it mean?"

Chiron looked at me and said, "Serena Melody Summers, you are Daughter of the Sea God and a Siren."

Everyone started asking questions, mainly concerning how a god would fall in love with a monster. Some of the Ares kids called me a freak, which I didn't care. I looked at Percy.

"You're my brother," I whispered.

"And you're my sister," he said.

"Oh no," I said, my voice wavering. "No, no, this can't be happening."

"_Oh, it's happening, young Siren."_

I started hyperventilating. This cannot be happening. I can't be a daughter of Poseidon, I just can't!

_"Hail, Serena Melody Summers, Daughter of the Sea God and a Siren! Now, when will I get you?"_

I looked at Percy, who turned out to be my brother. Daughter of Poseidon, it all made sense. But, just one question.

Why did it have to be me?

…..

**I do not own Percy Jackson or any of its characters, Rick, its author, does! I only own my OCs and plots that do not belong to PJO and HoO!**

**Review, follow, and favorite please!**

**Sayonara!**


	9. Percy Is Offered A Quest

**~Percy Is Offered A Quest~**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO, Rick Riordan does. If I did own it, Melody, Melaina, Vanessa, Nicolette, and Harper would be in the series. So, yeah, I don't own it and I never will…maybe…**

….

The next morning, Chiron placed me and Percy in cabin three.

It was just me and Percy at cabin three. There was plenty of room for our stuff: Percy's Minotaur horn, one set of spare clothes, a toiletry bag, and I had my backpack and duffel bag. We got to sit at our own dinner table, pick out our own activities, I let Percy call "lights out" whenever he felt like it, and we listened to no one.

I kind of like it, but I could tell Percy was absolutely miserable.

I could tell he was just started to feel accepted, to feel like he had a home at cabin eleven and he might be a normal kid—as normal as you can get for a demigod—he was separated like he had a disease or he was a freak. I tried to cheer him up, saying he wasn't alone, but he just gave a fake smile and said thanks halfheartedly.

Nobody talked about the hellhound, but I could see some people whispering about it behind my back. When I hang out with Melaina, Nicolette, and Vanessa, they said people were talking about it still, my nerves almost becoming uneasy. The attack scared the hell out of everybody, and it just made the problems in my life grow even longer. It sent two messages: one, I was the daughter of the Sea God and a Siren; and two, monsters—like the Sirens—would stop at nothing to kill me or, in the Sirens' case, try to get me to join them. They could invade camp that I once thought was the safest place I could be in. I just…why?

Campers steered cleared of Percy as much as possible. But, campers were the harshest on me. It was Devon all over again. I was treated like the freak that everyone thought I was. People never talked to me and tried to steer clear of me. Some of the Aphrodite girls called me a feathery freak and mocked me. But, every time someone mocked or bullied me, my emotions got the better of me and I got…in Siren mode and almost kill the person. "Siren mode" is when I use my Siren and half-blood powers together, causing major damage and…trouble. It got so overwhelming. Percy told me one time that I cried in my sleep.

The only ones who truly cared about me were Percy, Melaina, Nicolette, and Vanessa. Harper has been gone for awhile. I see her at camp, but it's usually her speaking with Chiron, her face scared and worried. I don't know what she was talking about, but I knew it was something bad.

The voice, which I now know is Zandra the Ancient, still bothers me. Every now and then she would come, telling me I'm endangering all that I care about and that I couldn't protect them from a danger that will befall me and them. I would study everything there is to know about Sirens, but that just made me even more stressed. I hate that I was half Siren. I rather just be a half human half god than what I am now.

Speaking of that, I sometimes thought of giving up my Siren half just to be normal…ish. I just want to have this burden leave me and that Zandra and all these others things to leave me alone.

…

I think someone at camp resented Percy. One night, I was sitting on my bed drawing a picture of this sparrow I found when Percy came into our cabin. He found a mortal newspaper dropped inside the doorway, a copy of the _New York Daily News_, opened to the Metro page. By the way he was reading the paper, his expression got angrier and angrier as he read it. I didn't like it one bit.

I wanted to see what he was reading, but he looked like he needed some space. So I stayed at my bed, continuing to draw my sparrow picture. As I drew, my mind wandered.

As I learned more about the Sirens, I saw there were some things about the Sirens that the myths don't cover. It interested me, really, on how many gaps about the myths left.

I learned that Sirens the first Sirens were Zandra and Xandra. Their mother was a human named Harmony. She was the fairest of all the maidens and everyone, mortal me and gods alike, wanted her. But, Harmony could never be obtained. Her mother, who was a sorceress, was jealous that her daughter was getting all this attention. So, she made Harmony live in this run-down hut near the ocean. The only companion Harmony had were the animals, mainly birds that lived near her hut. Her mother thought no one could get to her, not even the gods. But, she was wrong; one god did get to Harmony. And that god was Poseidon, god of the sea.

My father fell in love with Harmony. But, he fell in love with her not for her looks. He watched her, seeing Harmony care for the creatures that lived near her home and saw her pick up rubbish in the beach and water. Harmony loved nature and animals; she especially loved the sea, horses, and birds. It surprised me, really. Usually gods fell in love with mortal women for their looks, but Poseidon loved Harmony for who she was. So, one day, Poseidon disguised himself as a poor fisherman and met Harmony.

Harmony was instantly enchanted by the fisherman and they spent their time together and soon, they made love. But, Harmony's mother found out. Her mother was outraged that her daughter fell in love with a god. Harmony's mother's rage only grew when Harmony was going to give birth to a child, and the child belonged to Poseidon. Soon, Harmony gave birth to two baby girls, Zandra and Xandra. Harmony's mother, completely disgusted by her daughter and grandchildren, she somehow took away Zandra and Xandra's godly blood and powers and cursed them. Zandra and Xandra were turned into birdwomen, also known as Sirens. Harmony was absolutely horrified and ran away. Out of grief, Harmony took her life by drowning herself at the beach where she met Poseidon.

Poseidon was outraged when he found out what happened to Harmony and her kids. He sought out Harmony's mother and took out his rage on her. Soon, Harmony's mother died at sea when she tried to escape Poseidon's wrath.

Zandra and Xandra were left alone to grow up by themselves. They flew to an island where more Sirens would inhabit it in the future.

I was outraged by this story when I read it. Harmony's mother was so stupid and a bad mother. So what if her daughter fell in love with a god? It's not the end of the world! I was absolutely angered by this, but I soon forgot that rage. My father, God of the Sea, fell in love with Harmony for who she was, which kind of shocked me. I did hate my father; he left my mom knowing that she was going to give birth to a half Siren half god hybrid! But, this story made me have second thoughts about my father. He sounded so kind and caring in the story. My father was angered when he heard Harmony committed suicide and his kids lost their godly blood and power and were turned into Sirens. He sounded like he really did care. I wonder…

Percy wadded up the newspaper and threw it away, and then flopped down in his bunk in the middle of the cabin.

"Lights out," he said miserably.

I shook my head and put away my sketch book.

"Oh Percy," I whispered.

…..

That night, I had a dream.

I was in this dark cave-like room. All around me, female voices whispered and cackled at me. I was scared as hell, and I kept looking around. On the ground, there were drops of red liquid and feathers of different colors scattered all over. I kept walking, until my feet stopped dead in their tracks. I looked up, and my eyes went wide.

Standing in front of me were two women. The first woman had long, jet-black hair that reached down to her waist. Her eyes were an ocean-blue and her skin was pale white. She wore a dark grey dress with long, lace sleeves, an olive-green cloak, and blue-and-gold feathers in her hair. Her figure was slim, curvy, but a bit athletic.

_Xandra the Ancient._

The second woman had platinum blond hair that reached down to her mid-back. Her eyes were a sea foam-green and her skin was peachy but pale. She wore an ebony-black dress with long, lace sleeves, midnight-blue cloak, and green-and-bronze feathers in her hair. Her figure was slim and curvy. She had more of a figure-eight figure than the Xandra and she looked absolutely break-taking.

"You must stop this now, Zandra," Xandra pleaded. "What happened to my sweet sister I loved and got through this immortality issue?"

Zandra scoffed. "The girl you knew was naïve and foolish! I see how the world is now. And I think us Sirens and some half-bloods willing to over-throw their parents could do better."

I noticed that their voices were quite different. Xandra's voice was soft, kind, yet strict, almost like a mother's voice. Zandra's voice was soft, raspy, and haunting. Her voice could send chills or hypnotized anyone if she wanted.

Suddenly, some Sirens in their human form took sides. Some Sirens went to Xandra, while the others went to Zandra. It looked like a full out battle was about to go down, but Xandra raised a hand.

"By order of Zeus and the other Olympians, I herby banish you for eternity!"

"What are you going to do?" Zandra sneered. "Throw me down Tartarus?"

Xandra shook her head. "No, not somewhere."

Xandra pulled out a small box. It was a box the size of a laptop. The box was a dark grey and had Ancient Greek writing inscribed on the lid. Xandra opened the box, and started chanting something incoherently. Suddenly, a light emitted from the box and pulled Zandra in. Zandra started screaming and cursing. Then, it all stopped. Xandra shut the box tight, and locked it with a silver and bronze key.

She stepped out of the cave-like room and came to a cliff. She looked at the ocean that was beneath her. She looked at the key and the box, and threw the key into the sea. Then, she took the box and placed it on the ground. She turned to the Sirens who stepped out of the cave.

"Sisters, we must leave this cave," Xandra announced.

"But why?" asked a voice.

Xandra didn't answer as she turned into her Siren form and flew off. The others followed her too. They flew off, heading towards another place to live. I watched them, until a voice invaded my mind.

_"Now you know the truth about me…now you will join me…"_

Suddenly, the skies darken and the sea grew violent. Waves crashed against the cliff, and the cliff started to shake. I tried to run, but I stayed where I was.

_"Come join me, little Songbird…you have to eventually…"_

Suddenly, the cliff sank and me with it. I started screaming, and cursing in Greek. I just kept falling and falling…

…..

I screamed and fell off my bed. I landed right on my butt with a thud. I muttered a curse under my breath. It was a dream…just a dream…but what I saw was real…

Percy was looking over at me, clearly worried. He was about to ask me if I was okay when there was a sound of clopping at the door.

"Come in?" Percy said.

Grover trotting inside, looking very worried. "Mr. D wants to see you two."

"Why?"

"He wants to kill…I mean, I'd better let him tell you."

Nervously, we got dressed. I put on a black long-sleeved turtle neck, olive-green skinny jeans; black high-top Converse, and magenta hoodie vest. We followed Grover. I expected we were in big trouble.

For days, I half—I do mean _half_—expected to be summoned to the Big House with Percy. Now that we were declared the son and daughter of Poseidon, one of the Big Three gods who swore on the River Styx that they weren't going to have any more kids, I thought it was a crime to be alive. The other gods were probably trying to decide on what they were going to do to us, and now Mr. D was going to tell us what they decided to do. I rather be turned into a tree like Thalia then anything the other gods decided to do.

I looked up at the sky, and saw it was covered by dark grey storm clouds. It was going to rain anytime soon. Percy asked Grover if we needed an umbrella.

"No," he said. "It never rains unless we want it to."

Percy pointed at the storm. "What the heck is that, then?"

He glanced uneasily at the sky. "It'll pass around us. Bad weather always does."

I kept my eyes on the ground. I really didn't like walking around camp that much. I preferred walking around camp at night, where no one would see me or try to make fun of me. When you're a Siren who has godly blood, you are a subject of ridicule. Everyone, who are just jerks, think I'm an abomination. But why? Cyclopes' parents are gods and deities and everyone is cool with that. But, when it comes to a god and a monster having a kid, everyone thinks it's evil and everyone should avoid the kid at all costs. How close-minded is that?

I looked up from time to time as we walked. Though I didn't pay attention to the details, I could sense everyone was tense and were keeping their eyes on the storm.

Grover, Percy, and I walked up to the front porch of the Big House. Dionysus sat at the pinochle in his tiger-striped Hawaiian shirt with his Diet Coke, just as he had on my first day. Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheelchair. They were playing against two invisible opponents—two sets of cards hovering in the air. That is going on my long lists of weird things I seen.

"Well, well," Mr. D said without looking up. "Our little celebrities."

I stood by Percy, waiting.

"Come closer," Mr. D said. "And don't expect me to kowtow you, mortal, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father."

I gave a soft growl. A net of lightning flashed across the sky. Thunder shook the windows of the house.

"Blah, blah, blah," Dionysus said.

Chiron feigned interest in his pinochle cards. Grover cowered by the railing, his hooves clopping back and forth.

"If I had my way," Dionysus said, "I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm."

"Spontaneous combustion _is _a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron put in.

"Nonsense," Dionysus said. "Boy wouldn't feel a thing. Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself. I'm thinking of turning you into a dolphin instead, sending you back to your father."

I clenched my fists tightly until my knuckles turned white. My amulet glowed darkly, as if reflecting my mood.

"Mr. D—" Chiron warned.

"Oh, all right," Dionysus relented. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness." Dionysus rose, and the invisible players' cards dropped to the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If the boy and girl are still here when I get back, I'll turn them into an Atlantic bottlenose. Do you understand? And Perseus Jackson, if you're at all smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do."

Dionysus picked up a playing card, twisted it, and it turned into a plastic rectangle. It looks like a security pass.

He snapped his fingers.

The air seemed to fold and bend around him. He turned into a hologram, then a wind, and then he was gone. I could smell fresh-pressed grapes lingering behind.

Chiron smiled at us, but he looked tired and strained. "Sit, Percy, Melody, please. And Grover."

We did.

Chiron laid his cards on the table, a winning hand he hadn't gotten the chance to use.

"Tell me, Percy," he said. "What did you make of the hellhound?"

Once I heard the name, I completely froze up.

I remember the hellhound that nearly killed Percy if I hadn't saved him from it. He would have been demon dog chow if I hadn't got the guts to kill it.

"It scared me," Percy said. "If Melody hadn't got its attention and killed it, I'd be dead."

"You'll meet worse, Percy. Far worse, before you're done."

"Done…with what?"

"Your quest, of course. Will you accept it?"

I looked at Percy, he was glancing at Grover. Grover had his fingers crossed.

"Um, sir," Percy said, "you haven't told me what it is yet."

Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details."

Thunder rumbled across the valley. The storm clouds had reached the edge of the beach. As far as I could see, the sky and sea boiled together. I could sense there was something brewing…something bad…

"Poseidon and Zeus," Percy said. "They're fighting over something valuable…something that was stolen, aren't they?"

Chiron and Grover exchanged looks.

Chiron sat forward in his wheelchair. "How did you know that?"

"The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sky and sea are fighting. Then I talked to Annabeth, and she'd overheard something about a theft. And…I've also been having these dreams."

"I knew it," Grover said.

"Hush, satyr," Chiron ordered.

"But it is his quest!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement. "It must be!"

"Only the Oracle can determine." Chiron stroked his bristly beard. "Nevertheless, Percy, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."

Percy laughed nervously. "A _what_?"

"Do not take this lightly," Chiron warned. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosive."

"Oh."

"Zeus's master bolt," Chiron said, getting worked up now. "The symbol of his power, from which all lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from his throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

"And it's missing?"

"Stolen," Chiron said.

"By who?"

"By _whom_," Chiron corrected. "By you."

Percy's mouth fell open.

"At least"—Chiron held up a hand—"that's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense: 'Mother Rhea always liked you best,' 'Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters,' et cetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, taken from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly—that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a human hero to take it."

"But I/he didn't—" Percy and I said in unison.

"Patience and listen, child," Chiron said. "Zeus has a good reason to be suspicious. The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning. Zeus believes Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you as his son. You were in New York over the winter holidays. You could easily have snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thief."

"But I've never even been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!"

Chiron and Grover glanced nervously at the sky. The clouds weren't parting around us, as Grover has promised. They were rolling straight over the valley, sealing us like a coffin lid. I felt a little uneasy.

"Er, Percy…?" Grover said. "We don't use the _c_-word to describe the Lord of the Sky."

"Perhaps _paranoid_," Chiron suggested. "Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam…" He looked at Percy as if he was expecting him to remember.

How could anyone accuse Percy of stealing some lightning bolt? I mean, why don't they accuse me, too? I'm a daughter of Poseidon too! Well, maybe that's a good thing they didn't accuse me. Hell, I don't want the gods to be suspecting me as a thief. I already got Sirens on my tail. Chiron was waiting for an answer.

"Something about a golden net?" Percy guessed. "Poseidon and Hera and a few other gods…they, like trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better ruler, right?"

"Correct," Chiron said. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offense at the accusation. The two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. And now, you've come along—the proverbial last straw."

"But I'm just a kid!"

"Percy," Grover cut in, "if you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother was plotting to overthrow you, then your brother suddenly admitted he had broken the sacred oath he took after World War II, that he's fathered a new mortal hero who might be used as a weapon against you… Wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?"

"But I didn't do anything. Poseidon—my dad—he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?"

Chiron signed. "Most thinking observers would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style. But the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date. I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense. But your arrival has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy?"

"Bad?" Percy guessed.

"Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself. Olympians forced to choose sides with Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight."

"Bad," Percy repeated.

"And you, Percy Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath."

It started to rain. Volleyball players stopped their game and stared in stunned silence at the sky.

I looked up at the sky. Percy brought the storm to Half-Blood Hill. Zeus was punishing everyone at camp because of him. I could feel my anger smoldering inside me.

"So I have to find the stupid bolt," Percy said. "And return it to Zeus."

"What better peace offering," Chiron said, "than to have the son of Poseidon return Zeus's property?"

"If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?"

"I believe I know." Chiron's expression was grim. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago…well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. You must seek the counsel of the Oracle."

"Why can't you tell me where the bolt is beforehand?"

"Because if I did, you would be too afraid to accept the challenge."

Percy swallowed. "Good reason."

"You agree then?"

Percy looked at Grover, who nodded encouragingly.

I quietly snorted. Easy for him, Percy was the one Zeus wanted to kill.

"All right," Percy said. "It's better than being turned into a dolphin."

"I want to go on this quest too," I said, gaining a look from Grover and Percy.

"You want to go?" they said in unison.

I crossed my arms and said, "Hell yeah! I want to come along. I'm a daughter of Poseidon and Zeus might want to kill me too. Perce, it's better for _both _of us to go and return the bolt to Zeus. Both children of Poseidon returning the bolt is better than just one."

I looked at Chiron, who nodded in agreement.

"But—"Grover tried to say.

"I'm going and I'm not changing my mind," I said, defiantly.

"Mel, I really—"

"Perseus Jackson! I'm a big girl and I don't need your overprotection. I'm going and it's final."

Both boys sighed in defeat.

"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle," Chiron said. "Go upstairs, Percy Jackson and Melody Summers, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."

…..

Four flights up, the stairs ended under a green trapdoor.

Percy pulled the cord. The door swung down, and a wooden ladder clattered into place.

The warm air from above smelled like mildew and rotten wood and something else…a smell I remembered from biology class. Reptiles. The smell of snakes.

I hitched my breath, and followed Percy.

The attic was filled with Greek hero junk: armor stands covered in cobwebs; once-bright shields pitted with rust; old leather streamer trunks plastered with stickers saying ITHAKA, CIRCE'S ISLE, and LAND OF THE AMAZONS. I could have looked at the rest like what Percy was doing, but my gaze went to a small table. There were three modern-looking items on the table. I saw a purple with black feather pattern slap-bracelet. It looked so normal that it felt out of place from all the Greek hero junk and jars filled with pickled things. Next to it was a necklace. The necklace was golden with a heart-shaped golden locket and a small, silver key hanging on the necklace's golden chain. Finally, there was a bracelet. The bracelet was actually three bracelets in one. The bracelet had golden beads that looked as if they were yellow diamonds. The bracelets were held together by a charm. The charm was made of silver and in the shape of an oval. Etched on the oval were a crescent moon symbol and ancient Greek writing etched on it. I put on the bracelet on my left wrist and the slap-bracelet on my right. I put the locket in my jeans pocket. I know; I shouldn't steal stuff. But, I just had this gut feeling, you know?

Anyway, I looked at the slap-bracelet with deep thought. I tapped the slap-bracelet three times, and a hologram appeared. It looked like the map of Camp Half-Blood, and there were two dots, one blue and the other dark grey. I assumed the blue dot was Percy and I was the dark grey. I tapped the slap-bracelet again, and the map left. I turned my attention to the bracelet. I held the charm, and tugged it. Suddenly, a bronze, silver, and gold shield appeared. I yelped, and tugged at the strap of the shield, which was the bracelet. The shield disappeared, and the charm was left. I sighed. I was _not _going to try to use the locket.

I turned my attention back to Percy, who was approaching a mummy while green mist swirled around him. The mummy was probably the Oracle. Then, something came into my mind.

"The spirit of Delphi," I muttered as I walked over to Percy. I stood by his side, quietly.

Percy said, "What is my destiny?"

The mist swirled more thickly; collecting right in front of us and around the table with pickled…monster-part jars. Suddenly there were four men sitting around the table, playing cards. I couldn't tell who they were, but I felt Percy knew them. Maybe…

Percy's fist clenched, though this…poker party, I think, wasn't real. It was all an illusion, made of mist.

The fat man who looked like a tusk-less walrus in thrift-stores clothes with three hairs on his head turned to us and a rasping voice, probably the Oracle's: _You shall go west, and face the god who has turned._

His buddy on the right looked up and said in the same voice: _You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned._

The guy on the left threw in two poker chips, and then said: _You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend._

Finally, the fourth guy delivered the worst line of all: _And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end._

The figures began to dissolved, and everything became muted out. I stared at the Oracle in disbelief, trying to believe it or not. I heard Percy say something, but it sounded garbled. I tried to say something, but my voice wouldn't work.

I started to walk away, but Percy called my name. I didn't hear him, because I was too focused on what the Oracle told me and just me.

I walked down the stairs, replaying in mind. What she said did matter for now, it would happen in the future. I closed my eyes, and heard the Oracle's voice replaying in my head, saying that one line that I would dread.

_When you reach fourteen years, you shall pay a price in order for your wish to be granted._

…

I came down first, and sat down immediately. A grim and confused look was plastered on my face. Grover looked at me in concern, but I looked down so he wouldn't see my face. My eyes were watery, and my grey eyes probably turned sea-green.

Percy came down next.

"Well?" Chiron asked us.

Percy slumped into a chair at the pinochle table. "She said I would retrieve what was stolen."

Grover sat forward, chewing excitedly on the remains of a Diet Coke can. "That's great!"

"What did the Oracle say _exactly_?" Chiron pressed. "This is important."

"She…she said I would go west and face a god who had turned. I would retrieve what was stolen and see it safely returned."

"I knew it," Grover said.

Chiron didn't look satisfied. "Anything else?"

"No," Percy said. "That's about it."

I wanted to say what the Oracle told me, but I was too afraid. What if I told them, Chiron wouldn't let me go on this quest or leave camp at all? I couldn't let them happen.

So, I stayed silent and didn't breathe a word about the Oracle's prediction.

Chiron studied Percy's face. "Very well, Percy. But know this: the Oracle's words often have double meanings. Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."

"Okay," Percy said, anxious to change topics. "So where do I go? Who's this god in the west?"

"Ah, think, Percy," Chiron said. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?"

"Somebody else who wants to take over?" Percy guessed.

"Yes, quite. Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken."

"Hades."

Chiron nodded. "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility."

A scrap of aluminum dribbled out of Grover's mouth. "Whoa, wait. Wh-what?"

"A Fury came after Percy," Chiron reminded him. "She watched the young man until she was sure of his identity, then tried to kill him. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."

"Yes, but—but Hades hates _all_ heroes," Grover protested. "Especially if he has found out Percy and Melody are children of Poseidon…"

"A hellhound got into the forest," Chiron continued. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here. He must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy or Melody to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill these young half-bloods before they can take on the quest."

"Great," Percy and I muttered. "That's two major gods who want to kill me."

We looked at each other, and then looked away. My cheeks turned a light pink as I blushed.

"But a quest to…" Grover swallowed. "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in some place like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year."

"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron insisted.

The rest of the conversation sounded garbled in my ears, as if my ears were filled with water. My gaze went to my lap, and I stared off into space. I don't know if someone called my name, but I know Percy must have called my name. I felt my hands trembling.

_"Oh, look at you. Looks like you're scared and confused."_

"_Zandra…wait, you and sister have the same name, but spelled differently. Why is that?_"

_"Why do you want to know?"_

"_Just…asking…_"

_"Hmm, we have the same name because of our mother. She liked the name Zandra, with a Z, and we were fraternal twins, so I was named Zandra with a Z and my sister was named Xandra, with an X. Satisfied?"_

I stayed quiet, gaining a laugh from Zandra.

_"I heard you got a prediction from Delphi's spirit. What did she say?"_

_ "None of your business."_

_ "Did she say something important?"_

I didn't answer.

"You're saying I'm being used." I heard Percy say.

Chiron said, "I'm saying it's no accident Poseidon has claimed you and Melody now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs you."

My father needs me and Percy. I snorted.

For twelve years, he has ignored me and never even tried to see me at all. Now he needed me and my half-brother Percy. I had very mixed emotions about this. I don't if I should be happy or angry or resentful or grateful. But, father must have faith in us if he thinks we can clear his name. I silently sighed.

Percy looked at Chiron. "You've known I was Poseidon's son all along, haven't you?"

"I had my suspicions. As I said…I've spoken to the Oracle, too."

"So let me get this straight," Percy said. "I'm supposed to go to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."

"Check," Chiron said.

"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe," I said.

"Check."

"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days." Percy and I said together.

"That's about right."

Percy looked over at Grover, who gulped down the ace of hearts.

"Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" he asked, weakly.

"You don't have to go," Percy told him. "I can't ask that of you."

"Oh…" He shifted hooves. "No…it's just that satyrs and underground places…well…"

He took a deep breath, and then stood, brushing the shredded cards and aluminum bits off his t-shirt. "You saved my life, Percy. If…if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down."

"All the way, G-man." Percy turned to Chiron. "So where do we go? The Oracle just said go west."

"We go to LA," I said simply, gaining a look from Percy. "What? Is it something I said?"

"How did you know?" Percy asked.

"I…The Underworld is always west, and like it Olympus, it moves. So, the Underworld is in the west coast, Los Angeles, California to be exact." I looked at Chiron. "Right."

"Corrected," said Chiron, who smiled. "Melody, you seem to be a child of Athena with brains like that."

I look away in modesty.

"Okay," said Percy. "So we just get on a plane—"

"No!" Grover shrieked. "Percy, what are you thinking? Have you ever been on a plane in your life?"

Percy shook his head. I looked at him.

"Jackson," I said, "think about it. You and me, we are the children of the Sea God. Our father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. If we took a plane, we would be in Zeus's domain. We wouldn't come back down alive. Zeus would electrocute us to death if we flew on a plane, not to mention endangering innocent people in the plane we might board."

Grover looked at me, astonished. Chiron looked at me, almost as if he was proud.

Overhead, lightning crackled and thunder boomed.

"Okay," Percy said, trying not to look at the storm. "We'll travel overland."

I placed a hand on Percy's shoulder, nodding to him.

"That's right," said Chiron. "Two companions may accompany you two. Grover is one. The other has already volunteered, if you will accept her help."

I rolled my eyes, knowing who it was.

"Gee," Percy said, feigning surprise. "Who else would be stupid enough to volunteer for a quest like this?"

The air shimmered behind Chiron.

Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket.

"I've been waiting a long time for a quest, seaweed brain," she said. "Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you from messing up."

"If you do say so yourself," Percy said. "I suppose you have a plan, wise girl?"

Her cheeks colored. "Do you want my help or not?"

Before Percy could say anything, I cut in. "You are a daughter of Athena and you might be a great help. So, I speak for me and Percy, yes, we want your help, Chase."

"Excellent," Chiron said. "This afternoon, we can take you as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own."

Lightning flashed and rain started pouring down. I tightly clenched my fists until my fists turned white. I can't wait to prove Zeus that we didn't steal anything.

"No time to waste," said Chiron. "I think you should all get packing."

…

**Got nothing to say. But, excuse me for any errors and whatnot.**

**Review, follow, and favorite please!**

**PS: I maybe slow with the updates. If I don't update for weeks or months, it's because I'm busy. I will NEVER abandon or put this story up for adoption! I got plans for this. Dark, evil plans…not really.**

**Sayonara my fellow readers and authors! **


	10. Story Announcement

**~Story Announcement~**

…**..**

** Okay, I've done some thinking and made hard decisions. I know I said that I would never do this, but this isn't the first time I've done this.**

** I decide to stop this story and do a rewrite. What I'm saying is that "Half God, Half Siren: The Journey to Camp Half Blood" is going to be discontinued, but I won't delete it or put up for adoption. I will post the rewrite as soon as I can. I'm sorry if you liked this one, but I decided to do a rewrite. I hope you read the rewrite.**

** Speaking of the rewrite, it will be called "A New Kind of Demigod". It will feature my major and minor OCs. It will take place after "The Last Olympian" and go into the "Heroes of Olympus" series. This rewrite, I will improve my OCs so they won't be Mary-Sues and improve my writing.**

**In this author's note, I will give you the summary and the four main characters and the plot. The story will include the characters in the PJO and HoO, but I don't know how.**

** First things first, the main characters and their bios.**

**Main Characters-**

**First Main Character:**

**Name: Serena Melody Summers (prefers to be called "Melody")**

**Age: 16 (She is a year younger than Percy)**

**Gender: Female**

**Hometown: New York, New York in Manhattan**

**Mortal Parent: Marina Sapphira Summers (Siren/real mother)**

**Mortal Siblings/Relatives: Melissa Cassandra Vasiliou (Siren aunt), Demetrius "Demetri" Vasiliou (human uncle)**

**Godly Parent: Poseidon, God of the Sea**

**Appearance: Straight ebony-black hair that reaches down to her mid-back, sea-green eyes, pale white skin. She has a normal height for a sixteen year old, skinny but lanky, and has no birthmarks, scars, pimples, or any flaws in her skin. **

**Normal Attire: She usually wears a dark blue, longed-sleeved turtleneck, slate-grey skinny jeans; black high-top Converse, and a dark green hoodie vest. Her outfits vary.**

**Weapon(s): She has her trusty pen "παλιρροιακό κύμα," which means "Tidal Wave" in Greek. Tidal Wave is a silver ballpoint pen with a cap. When Tidal Wave is uncapped, it turns into a sword made of Celestial Bronze. It can also turn into a dagger by clicking the pen with a button at the other end of the pen. Melody obtained Tidal Wave when she escaped from her kidnappers at age nine.**

**Magic Item(s): She has three magic items. The first item is a purple slap-bracelet with a black feather pattern. When she taps it twice, it can show a map of where she is, and when it she taps it once, the map disappears. The second item is a gold charm bracelet with yellow, diamond-like beads and a silver oval-shape charm that has a wave symbol and Ancient Greek writing engraved in the charm. The bracelet can turn into a silver and bronze shield with a trident (the symbol of her father, Poseidon) in the middle when she taps the charm. The third and last item is a golden heart-shaped locket and a silver key that is hanging on the chain of the necklace with the locket. The necklace belongs to Aphrodite and was a gift to Aphrodite from her husband, Hephaestus. The necklace allows the wearer to change their appearance, much like how the goddess herself can have multiple appearances.**

**Personality: Shy, quiet, and keeps to herself. She has trouble with her emotions and that results in her lashing out at times. But, she is very caring and kind and will stick up to her friends and she is not afraid to kick some butt. She also is very smart, as smart as an Athena child, witty, sarcastic, sometimes clueless, and book and street (but more street) smart.**

**Fatal Flaw: She has trust issues. Her trust issues prevent her from truly trusting anyone, not to mention her trouble with her emotions makes it harder for her to trust anyone. The only ones she truly trusts is her family.**

**Abilities/Powers: the basic powers of a child of Poseidon: able to communicate with horses and sea creatures, can control water, can breathe underwater, can cause earthquakes, et cetera. Her mother is a Siren, so she has powers of the Siren as well. She is able to turn into her bird form (bird form only [will be explained in the rewrite]), can communicate with birds, hypnotic singing voice, powers of persuasion (meaning her voice can persuade you to do anything for her), like all monsters can sense and smell half-bloods but she is also able to sense and smell monsters, and others that will be mentioned.**

**Bio: (This will be the bio for the rewrite, so forget all about the Melody you know from this story.) At age six, Melody was told about her mother being a Siren and her father being a god. Her mother told her that due to her father being a god. The godly blood overpowered the Siren blood so much, Melody became just a demigod with Siren powers and abilities and there were no trace of Siren blood in her. Young Melody thought it was so cool. But, a day after her mother told her the truth; her mother was kidnapped while Melody was at school. Melody lived with her Aunt Melissa and Uncle Demetrius until she was seven. On her seventh birthday, a hellhound nearly killed her aunt and uncle while they were at the park. Scared out of her mind and afraid she would get many others killed; Melody got dressed and ran away. She spent her life on the run until she was eight, when a pack of hellhounds and a mysterious woman in black kidnapped her and locked her up. She spent a year chained in a dark room, being beaten and torture. At nine years old, she found a pen (Tidal Wave) and fought her way with only pure instincts. The battle was so hard; she was on the verge of death and it made her lose her memory. She wandered through the Middle Eastern states of USA until Xandra the Ancient found her. Xandra, who used the pseudonym "Sandra Devon", took care of young Melody. Now living in a private house in Long Island, the house being far away from Camp Half-Blood, Melody grew up, living as a girl named Melanie "Melody" Devon. Soon, she would be part of something very big.**

**Creator's Note: Again, this is a completely different version of the Melody from "Half God, Half Siren" because that Melody felt like she was a Mary-Sue.**

**Second Main Character:**

**Name: Vanessa Anastasia Motoyama**

**Age: 16**

**Gender: Female**

**Hometown: New York, New York in Manhattan**

**Mortal Parent(s): Daniel A. Motoyama (real father, collage professor at NYU), Cecilia A. Motoyama (step-mother, stay-at-home mom)**

**Mortal Sibling(s)/Relative(s): Hannah Eliza Motoyama (step-sister, two years younger than Vanessa), Michael Eli Motoyama (step-brother, two years old than Vanessa)**

**Godly Parent: Athena, Goddess of Wisdom**

**Appearance: Curly honey-blonde that reaches past her shoulders, storm cloud-grey eyes, and peachy skin. She has an athletic build, but she quiet petite. She is taller than normal sixteen year olds and has a scar that goes up her arm from when she was running away from monsters.**

**Normal Attire: Vanessa is usually seen in a dark grey long-sleeved v-neck, faded blue jeans, and white Mary-Jane shoes. She wears a pair of thick, black frame glasses and an owl amulet her father gave her on her eighth birthday. Her clothes vary as well.**

**Weapon(s): A long spear with a celestial bronze tip.**

**Magic Item(s): None, so far.**

**Personality: Quiet and keeps to herself, but is very feisty and out-going. She is smart, which is expected of an Athena child, book and street wise. She is level-headed, patient, has a temper (especially around Melaina), and a loyal and trustworthy friend.**

**Fatal Flaw: She has too much pride. Vanessa refuses to ask for help when she needs it and she feels she needs to prove she can do anything to show everyone she's not just a smarty pants. **

**Abilities/Powers: Whatever power/abilities children of Athena have.**

**Bio: (Again, for the rewrite version). Vanessa lived a good life at her home. Despite her being a half-blood, her step-mother and siblings accept her and love her as much as her father. She lived with them until she reached the age of ten, when she realized she was attracting too many monsters that wanted to harm her and her family. She ran away and lived in the woods in Long Island (again, near Camp Half-Blood) with Melaina Forgoes and Nicolette Archer. Vanessa became best friends with them when they bumped into each other on the streets of New York City. They lived in the woods with one another until they met a satyr and was brought to Camp Half-Blood, where Vanessa learned she was a daughter of Athena.**

**Creator's Note: in the rewrite, I am going deep into Vanessa's past to make her less of a Mary-Sue and more of an Original Character. I will do the same with Melaina and Nicolette.**

**Third Main Character:**

**Name: Melaina Lena Forges (Her nickname is "Laina," but no one calls her "Laina" except for her birth mom, her godly father, and Nicolette and Vanessa)**

**Age: 16**

**Gender: Female**

**Hometown: Portland, Oregon**

**Mortal Parent(s): Georgina "Gina" Forgoes (birth mother, US soldier), Patrick Forgoes (step-father, high school history teacher)**

**Mortal Sibling(s)/Relative(s): None**

**Godly Parent: Ares, God of War**

**Appearance: Long, straight chestnut-brown hair, amber eyes, and fair skin. Melaina is taller than the average sixteen year old (and taller than Vanessa). She has an athletic built and she is slim. She has a scar on her cheek that runs down until her jaw she got while running away from home.**

**Normal Attire: Melaina's clothes vary, but she usually wears a white tank top underneath a black leather motorcycle jacket, dark blue skinny jeans, and black combat boots.**

**Weapon(s): A long, bronze sword which she "borrowed without permission" from a Greek and Roman exhibit at a museum.**

**Magic Item(s): None, so far.**

**Personality: Loyal, polite, and always has your back. She is very different from other Ares children, due to her kindness and manners. But, she has a short temper and does not like it when you call her "Melanie" or "Melly." She is also rational and will work out a problem with words before action.**

**Fatal Flaw: Temper is her worst enemy. Her temper clouds her mind and messes with her judgment and actions. She tries very hard to work on her temper, but it always comes back.**

**Abilities/Powers: Whatever power/abilities Ares children have. (Wow, I so need to find out what Ares children have for powers/abilities, along with Athena children. I'm so clueless. -.-)**

**Bio: (Rewrite as I said before!) Melaina's life was complicated. She was a half-blood, her mom's always away on duty, and her step-father tries his best to understand that is step-daughter is a demigod. Monsters keep coming and Melaina is sick and tired of it. So, at age nine, she runs away and makes a trip throughout the US. Monsters are always on her tail, so she "borrowed" a sword from a Greek and Roman exhibit she found during her adventure. During her trip, she meets Nicolette Archer in Los Angeles, California and they became friends. Melaina and Nicolette soon arrived to New York City where they met Vanessa Motoyama and the three became friends. They lived in the woods of Long Island before a satyr took them to Camp Half-Blood, where Melaina learned she was a daughter of Ares.**

**Creator's Note: Going deep into her history and trying to make her less of a Mary-Sue.**

**Fourth Main Character:**

**Name: Nicolette Anna Archer (Likes to be called "Nicole")**

**Age: 15 (she is the youngest in the group by one year)**

**Gender: Female**

**Hometown: Los Angeles, California in Beverly Hills**

**Mortal Parent(s): Catherina Archer (birth mother, famous cellist), Jacob Archer (step-father, art instructor at Nicolette's old high school)**

**Mortal Sibling(s)/Relative(s): Regina Archer (step-sister, a year older than Nicolette)**

**Godly Parent: Apollo, God of archery, prophecy, and music**

**Appearance: Short, brown hair with blonde highlights, stunning emerald-green eyes, peachy skin. She is the shortest in the group and shorter than the average fifteen year old. She has a feminine and curvy figure and is very slim. She has a scar on her leg from being abused by her mother's ex-boyfriend.**

**Normal Attire: She wears a bright red tank top under a white sweater, blue denim shorts, and tan short boots. Her clothes vary as well. She usually is seen wearing eighth note earrings and a gold necklace with a golden sun charm.**

**Weapon(s): A bow and arrows. The arrows' tips are made of celestial bronze and are a gift from her father, Apollo.**

**Magic Item(s): A satchel that seems to have everything. Nicolette uses the satchel to get extra weapons, magic items, food, water, ambrosia, nectar, and whatever else she needs. The satchel is another gift from Apollo.**

**Personality: Outgoing, naïve, kind, caring, care-free, laid-back, a bit nosy due to her curiosity, and fun-loving. Nicolette just wants to have fun and live life to the fullest. She is very positive and seems to always look at the bright side and ignores the bad. She is a wild child, so Vanessa and Melaina always have to watch her to make sure she does do anything too…crazy.**

**Fatal Flaw: She is very naïve and that causes problems. Her naivety can get troublesome at times and the naivety makes her trust people too soon. Her nosiness can also cause problems, since she wants to know everything, thanks to her curiosity. So, her friends need to keep her in check.**

**Abilities/Powers: (Here I go…again) whatever abilities/powers Apollo children have.**

**Bio: (Rewrite version, of course) Nicolette life was great. She lived in a mansion in Beverly Hills, she had friends, she was a music prodigy and a gifted singer, she strived in a career in music or in the medical field, she got high grades, she had many friends, her family got along wonderfully, and everything was just perfect. But, on her eighth birthday, she ran away after her mother told her about her real father. As she wandered around Los Angeles, she met Melaina and begged her to take her in and let her join in on her adventure. So they traveled together until they met Vanessa in New York City and ran off to Long Island Sound, where they lived in the woods until a satyr took them to Camp Half-Blood, where Nicolette learned her father was Apollo.**

**Creator's Note: Again, going deep into her history and trying not to make her a Mary-Sue.**

**...**

**AAAANNNDD those are the main character! Now, time for the summary!**

"**A New Kind of Demigod"**

**Summary: Melanie Devon was just a regular sixteen year old living in a beach-side house in Long Island, near New York, USA. She just spent her time being homeschooled, helping her mom with her dress making, walking along the beach, swimming, listening, reading, and singing. But, she learns her whole life was a big fat lie. Apparently, her name is Melody Summers and she ran away from home at seven and her "mom" took her in and protected her from forces that she was running away from. Now, her "mom" packs up her stuff and sends her to a camp for kids like her: demigods. Melanie—or Melody?—now has to regain her memory and fulfill some prophecy that revolves around her and requires the help of a few other demigods. But, Melanie—or Melody?—doesn't believe a thing. Now, her life has been thrown into this world filled with gods, monsters, prophecies, secrets, and the truth about her birth parents. What's a girl gotta do get a straight answer for once?**

**Plot: The plot is basically Melody, Melaina, Nicolette, and Vanessa are part of this prophecy that tells:**

**One half-blood will face her past**

**One half-blood will be the downfall of the group**

**One half-blood will be the savior of the group**

**And one half-blood that will defeat an evil that has been around since the beginning of Ancient Greece**

**The story will be after "The Last Olympian" and go into the "Heroes of Olympus" series. Melody, Melaina, Nicolette, and Vanessa may join in on the series, but they will focus on their quest. **

**I finished reading the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series (took five weeks, one week for each book) and I LOVED IT! That was one of the reasons I decided to do a redo. I will read the "Heroes of Olympus" series (NO SPOILERS PLEASE!) so I can see if my story will go into it.**

**Now, that's the end of this author's note! I don't care if there were any errors because it was an author's note and errors can happen in an author's note!**

**I hope you will read my rewrite and like it or love it!**

**Sayonara my friends and see ya next time!**


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